Healing Earth
by The Entity of Darkness
Summary: Two sisters transfer to Dakota Union High, one cheery and kind, the other a little violent and sarcastic. What happens when the two have a run in with Hotstreak on their first day? Francis/HotstreakxOC RichiexOC
1. The Two Sisters

Okay, since _A Strange Relationship_ got a lot of views (though it only got two reviews) I've decided to type up the first chapter of my fanfiction, _Healing Eatrh_. It may end up focusing on Katrina and Francis because, for some reason it's easier for me to write about them than Richie and Kathrine. I don't know yet, but I'll try my best. I hope you all like this because I rewrote it four times and I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I couldn't think of how to improve it anymore. Constructive feed back would be appreciated. Rated T for language.

Disclaimer: I don't own Static Shock or the characters.

** .:Healing Earth:.**

It was a bright and sunny morning in Dakota. The weather was warm and there was a slight breeze. The students of Dakota Union High were just starting to enter the building, including the school's newest students. Two young girls mixed into the crowd of students without anyone's notice.

One girl was Katrina Blake. She had long chocolate brown hair that fell to her waist and bright ocean blue eyes that displayed the same joy and excitement that her wide grin did. Katrina wore a blue T-shirt with a large black rose printed on the front, along with jeans and black sneakers. Around her neck, hanging on a silver chain was a silver locket with a dragon carved on the lid.

The girl walking with Katrina was her sister, Kathrine Blake. She, like her sister had long brown hair that dropped to her waist, but her eyes were different. Her emerald green eyes were dull with the same boredom that showed on her face. She wore a black T-shirt with a white skull and cross bones printed on the front. She also wore black skinny jeans, black sneakers, and a locket identical to her sister's.

The two walked into the building in silence, Katrina overflowing with excitement and Kathrine wishing she could just go home.

Kathrine, noticing her sister's wide grin scowled at her, "Why the hell are you so happy-go-lucky?"

"Because this is exciting! Think about it Kathrine, new people, new experiences! It's just exciting!" Katrina answered, not the least bit upset by her sister's attitude.

Kathrine was a sarcastic and slightly intolerant person most of the time and Katrina, knowing this, was always patient with her. She was also not a morning person, so Katrina never took anything she says to her to heart.

Katrina, on the other hand, was a morning person and a bit of an optimist. She always tried to be cheerful and patient. Unlike her sister, who had a short fuse and often preferred to use her fists to settle her differences with others, Katrina always tried to talk things out and used violence as a last resort, if Kathrine didn't get take care of it first. Also unlike Kathrine, when Katrina was angry she gave lectures, while her sister had a tendency to get violent.

The two contrasted each other so much, but got along with one another so well. They balanced each other out and, on the rare occasions that it had happened, were never mad at one another for long. The two had a strong bond, even for sisters, and they could always count on the other.

Kathrine only stared at Katrina, her expression a mix of disgust and disbelief. "You know, you're just one of those overly happy people that people like me just want to smack in the morning. Being that happy just isn't natural, especially when the thing you're happy about is school. When it comes to school, there is nothing to be happy about." she informed.

Despite her words, Katrina only continued to smile. "Quit being so negative, you haven't even given the place a chance yet. This will be fun!"

Kathrine rolled her eyes. She simply could **not** see how school, of all things, was supposed to be fun. She really didn't want to spend her day being around a bunch of stupid people, who were supposed to be her age, who couldn't even follow the simplest of directions.

She opened her mouth to retort, but before she could get a single word out, a boy slammed into the lockers in front of them. The boy was blond with glasses, his blue eyes filled with pain. Katrina gasped as he moaned in pain while Kathrine just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah! This year will be **loads **of fun!"

Katrina shot her a disapproving look. "Kathrine!" she scolded her sister, who didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Here was a boy who was clearly hurt, and she was just making sarcastic comments.

It didn't take long for a crowd to gather around, whispering to each other instead of helping the injured boy. Katrina was about to step forward, disgusted by the other students' lack of concern, but Kathrine grabbed her shoulder and stopped her. Katrina looked at her questioningly until Kathrine showed her why she had been stopped.

The crowd gasped and parted as another boy with a cruel smirk walked by. He had crimson and blond streaked hair that was spiked up and malicious green eyes. Katrina could only stare in shock as she saw fire in his hands and a purplish smoke rise from his body.

_"Bang baby!" _she thought.

Kathrine, however, only regarded the boy with bored interest. _"He's probably our age." _she thought, analyzing him, _"Definitely a bang baby. Probably the school bully and I think I've seen him on the news and in the paper for criminal activity. He's probably not that bright either. Conclusion: nothing but a pain in the ass. Definitely not worth our time." _Nodding at her assessment, she grabbed Katrina's arm and turned to leave, only to find that she wouldn't budge. Katrina stared at her sister long and hard, telling her silently that she would **not **leave. Kathrine glared back at her, even though she knew it was useless.

Once Katrina had her mind set on something, there was no stopping her. Finally, she sighed in defeat, releasing her sister's wrist and taking her spot next to her just in time to see the bang baby put out his flames. He walked up to the injured boy and lifted him off the ground by his blue sweatshirt.

"Listen, Francis-"

"Shut it, Foley!" the bang baby, Francis, cut him off, "I told you my name is Hotstreak. Now then, why don't you give me the money you owe me?"

The blond struggled in his grasp, desperately trying to get free. "I don't—I don't owe you any money!" he protested.

Francis didn't seem too happy with his answer because he pulled a fist back, ready to punch him. "Wrong answer, Foley!"

Just as he was about to hit the poor boy, a black hard cover book flew out of the crowd and hit him in the head, the shock causing him to drop his victim. Seeing his chance, the boy took off, disappearing into the crowd. Everyone was dead quiet, waiting for Francis to react. Finally regaining his senses, his body began to shake with rage as her glared at the crowd. "WHO THREW THAT?" he roared, causing many to flinch.

No one spoke up as no one had seen the culprit. All eyes had been on Francis at the time. No one wanted to come out and say that though, as no one wanted to end up barbequed.

Growling at the lack of responses, Francis punched a nearby locker, denting it and causing everyone to flinch. "I said, **WHO THREW THAT?**" Still, no one answered. Fed up with the silence, he began scanning the crowd himself for the guilty party. After passing over almost everyone in the crowd his eyes landed on a concerned Katrina. Smirking, Francis walked over to her, grabbed her wrist and, much to Katrina's surprise, gently pulled her out of the crowd.

Kathrine, too stunned at first to react, growled at Francis. As she was about to step out of the crowd, Katrina shot her a pleading look, silently begging her not to get involved and to let her handle it. Reluctantly, she complied and watched on _ w_ith her arms crossed over her chest.

_"If that bastard touches her, I'll kill him."_

Francis backed Katrina into the lockers, smirking at her in a way that made her feel uneasy. He placed his hands on either side of her head, leaning in so close to her that Katrina could almost see her personal space bubble popping.

"You know," he began, warm breath fanning across her face, "I don't think I've seen you around before. You new?"

"I am," she replied politely, her face not giving away anything she was feeling, "My name is Katrina Blake. I just transferred here with my sister. Today is my first day."

"Really?" he asked, making Katrina wonder if he actually cared or not. "So, did you see who threw the book?"

"I didn't," she replied, "In fact, I don't think anyone did. Everyone's attention was on you when it happened." She was hoping that he would let her go after answering his question. Instead, his smirk grew wider and he leaned in closer, much to Katrina's displeasure.

"Really? That's too bad. Especially since my friend ran away."

Katrina scoffed, angry that he would make light of something so serious. "I was unaware that friends addressed each other by their last names or threw one another into lockers for money." Her expression was a cross between disgust and anger and her voice held a no nonsense tone.

Francis merely shrugged, "We have a special friendship."

"And by '_special friendship' _I suppose you mean _'I beat him up to get his money or just because I feel like it'_, right?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

He only laughed, amused by the fact that she wasn't afraid of him. "You've got guts, you know that? I like girls like you, but don't take everything so seriously."

For Katrina, that was the last straw. It was clear earlier that Francis didn't care about much besides himself and that he would get violent to get what he wanted, but the fact that he didn't think what he was doing was serious simply made the normally patient girl snap.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you need to grow up." The force in her voice surprised Francis and made him take a step back. Katrina was now scowling at him, her usually bright blue eyes dark with anger. "If you need money, get a job like everyone else. You're not the only person in the world with issues or money problems, so stop acting like a petulant child. Just because you're a bang baby doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. Your actions have consequences and if you keep doing petty things like this you'll throw away your future. You seriously need to clean up your act and stop behaving like an ill tempered child having a temper tantrum!"

Everyone, including Francis, was stunned. No one talked to Hotstreak like that, not without being roasted anyway.

At that moment the bell rang, but the crowd of students didn't move. Katrina, on the other hand, walked around Francis and attempted to go to her first period class. She was stopped when he grabbed her wrist, though.

"Please let me go, Francis. I have to go to my first class." she said, calmer than before, back turned to him.

He growled, but kept his grip gentle. "My name is Hotstreak, and we're not done talking yet."

Katrina sighed, exasperated, and glared at him. "Perhaps you weren't, but I was. I've said my piece now why don't you think about what I said? It's my first day at this school and I don't want to be late. You should head to your class, too."

Francis was about to retort, but a voice in the crowd cut him off. "Hey, Flame-for-Brains, are you blind or just stupid? She's clearly not interested."

Katrina instantly recognized the female voice and inwardly groaned, resisting the urge to slap her hand to her face. Francis growled louder and released his hold on Katrina's wrist as he searched the crowd. "Alright, who said that? Someone is going to pay!" he snarled.

Much to her sister's dismay, Kathrine stepped forward, hands in her pockets with a smug smirk on her face. "Oh, shut up, or I'm going to nail you with another book," she said, nonchalantly before pointing to her forehead, "Right here. BANG!"

Francis was taken by surprise at first upon seeing an average looking girl picking a fight with him, even after seeing that he was a bang baby. He couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Kathrine frowned at his reaction. She did not appreciate not being taken seriously, especially when it came to things like fighting. "Something funny, Burnout?"

"You really think you can take me?" he laughed, "I'm a bang baby, I'll fry you in a second!"

Katrina was silently praying to whoever was listening that her sister wouldn't do anything reckless, like make Francis mad. Her prayers went unanswered.

"Only the weak speak loudly."

Katrina inwardly cursed her sister's ability to always get in trouble. Francis instantly stopped laughing and glowered at her, smoke rising from his body. Above all else, he despised being called weak. "Are you calling me weak?" His fists started shaking.

She smirked, "You're either weak, or a coward. What, afraid of getting your ass kicked by a girl?"

Finally, he couldn't take anymore. His hands burst into flames and his eyes turned white. "That's it!"

He threw a fire ball in Kathrine's direction, but she managed to dodge it. For a split second, both she and Katrina wore an expression of shock, but it was gone as soon as the fire ball destroyed a water fountain behind Kathrine. Not even a second later, she charged up to Francis, her speed surprising him and making his flames go out. In a flash, Kathrine pulled down his pants, got behind him, and delivered a swift kick to the butt, causing him to fall over. As if that wasn't enough, Kathrine then pointed at him and began laughing at his teddy bear print boxers.

Suddenly, the crowd started laughing with her while Katrina just stared with a hand covering her mouth. True, he was a bully who had just attacked another student, but she believed that two wrongs don't make a right. Francis rolled over to see Kathrine smirking triumphantly.

"I told you that you'd get your ass kicked."

Quickly, Francis got to his feet, pulling his pants up as he did so, and glared down at the girl who humiliated him. Katrina feared that he would do something violent.

Thankfully, at that moment a young, pale skinned, female police officer broke through the crowd and grabbed Francis' arm, making him redirect his glare at her.

The female officer had long blond hair that was tied back in a bun just below her hat. Her sea foam green eyes were narrowed at the trouble making bang baby.

"Francis Stone," she began, her voice demanding respect, "Need I remind you that you are on parole? One slip up and I **will **haul your butt to bang baby confinement where you will do nothing but sit in a stoney, cold cell all day."

Francis glared at Kathrine one last time before yanking his arm out of the officers grasp. Turning way, he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Fine." he muttered, walking down the hallway.

The officer watched him for a minute before directing her gaze at the girls, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry if he caused you any trouble. My name is officer Angela Gore, I'm Mr. Stone's parole officer. I was supposed to be following him around to make sure he went to class, as the police have deemed him too dangerous to be left alone any more, but he somehow managed to slip away without my notice. It won't happen again."

Kathrine eyed the cop warily as Katrina returned her smile, although a bit nervously. "Oh, no! It's fine. My sister and I are unharmed."

The officer, not noticing their odd behavior, gave them one last smile before catching up with Francis.

A teacher then entered the hall, shaking his head at the bang baby's retreating form. Turning to the crowd with a frown he said, "All right, show's over! The second bell already rang, you should all be in class."

That said, all of the students began scrambling to get to class except Kathrine who was looking for her book and Katrina who was staring off in the direction Francis had gone. She didn't know how long she stared down the hall, but it had to have been a good few minutes because when Kathrine got her attention again, there were two boys with them. One was an African American boy and the other she recognized as the boy Francis had been beating up.

"Hey, you okay?" Kathrine asked.

Embarrassed that she hadn't been paying attention, Katrina blushed, but nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"This is Virgil Hawkins and Richie Foley. They said they'll help us find our first period class since we were nice enough to help out Richie. As it turns out, we all have the same first period." she explained, "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little distracted is all."

Virgil smiled, "Hey, don't worry about it. You've been through a lot already."

"We should get going." Richie suggested, "Come on, the class room is this way." The two boys turned and walked down the hall.

Kathrine and Katrina glanced at the hall behind them, where Francis had gone, before following the boys, both thinking the same thing.

_"He missed on purpose."_

**.:Healing Earth:.**

Finally done. This took much longer than I expected. I'm not sure how it turned out, so I'd appreciate any feed back. Please review.


	2. A Troubled Kid

Okay, I'm back! Thank you to my wonderful reviewers Rock Music Queen and thisismyworld17 and Kitty-Zink. Reviews make me very happy and they let me know that people think this is worth reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Static Shock or it's characters.

**.:Healing Earth:.**

Francis was confused. True, he wasn't the smartest guy in the world, but he was rarely confused. The source of his confusion was none other then the the girl he met that morning. Not Kathrine, the mere thought of her just pissed him off. His mind was on the other girl, Katrina Blake. The way she acted towards him, even after seeing his powers, confused him.

She didn't act the same way the other girls did when he hit on them, before or after seeing his powers. Many pushed him away or called him a monster. Others were just the kind to sleep with anyone and weren't interested in a relationship. Katrina was neither. She looked him in the eye and told him what he was doing was wrong. She lectured him, telling him that he was destroying his future like she actually cared. No one had done that, so why had she? What made her different?

These were the things he thought about all day.

Francis had spent the whole day in the principals office, getting lectured on what behavior was appropriate for school. School was over and he was now walking down the halls, making his way to an exit.

_"Why can't I get her out of my head?" _he asked himself, shoving his hands in his pockets, _"Why?"_

She had clearly turned him down and normally Francis would just forget about her and move on to the next girl. While Francis didn't like being told "no", he did not believe in forcing himself on girls. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn't going to let "rapist" be added to the list. Hey, even he had morals.

For some reason, Katrina and her words would not leave his mind.

_**"You're not the only person in the world with issues."**_

__Francis scoffed as the words echoed in his head. _"And how would she know?" _The more he thought about her, the more confused he became. And Francis didn't like being confused.

Angry, smoke began rising from his body. The smoke disappeared, however, when he was smacked in the back of the head. Rubbing the injured area, he glared at his "attacker".

Officer Angela Gore looked down at him, unaffected by the heated stare. "Stop that." she told him, mildly annoyed by his short temper, "You're scaring the other students."

He looked around and sure enough, the other students were trying to stay out of his way at all costs, fear in their eyes. Francis smirked in smug satisfaction, which promptly earned him another smack. Growling, he rubbed his head again.

"Knock it off. You're supposed to try to get along with others, not scare them." she reminded him.

"What the hell kind of cop are you?" he snarled. He had been through many parole officers, but none of them ever had the courage to slap him upside the head, all too afraid of being barbequed. Officer Gore, however, had not trouble hitting him.

Angela smirked, "The good kind. Now then, since you just went on probation this morning, I'll explain to you what's going on. I will be following you to all of your classes and when you go out, seeing as how you can't stay out of trouble if left alone." Francis scoffed again, but she payed him no mind. "Also, we cannot locate your father and you have been deemed too dangerous to be on your own anywhere."

"So, what? Are the cops leaving me in my cell?" he asked.

Angela snorted, amused by his question. "Of course not. We all voted that you should stay with a officer until we can find your dad." She then smiled sweetly, causing Francis to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Guess who volunteered?"

Francis groaned, "Just my luck! I get stuck with a crazy, wet behind the ears cop."

"Watch it." she warned, "I have a stun gun and I'll gladly use it on you." He just snorted and rolled his eyes. Angela noticed this and continued, "I'm here to help you, Francis. All I ask is that you stop your illegal activity. No more, no less."

He looked away, not believing her for a second. After all, none of the other officers cared. Why would she? "You almost sound like you care."

"I do care." she insisted, "That's the reason I became a police officer, to help people like you."

Francis sneered and snarled, the officer's words making him angry. "And what are people like me? Monsters? Menaces? Lost causes?"

Angela frowned at him, disturbed and saddened by his outburst. "I was going to say misguided." Her voice was stern, as though telling him that that wasn't what he was.

Francis, unused to anyone seeing him as anything other than a terror to society, averted his eyes. He wouldn't admit it, but Officer Gore's words made him hope, just a little, that he could be accepted by others. However, Francis being the way he was, he just shrugged, acting like he didn't care. Angela noticed and chose not to comment, deciding that it was best if he wasn't angry.

"So," she began, changing the subject, "I noticed something odd about your fight this morning."

"I lost?" he asked with a bitter voice.

"No. Well, yes. It was rather amusing." She chuckled as she thought back to the fight. Francis' glare shut her up. "Sorry, sorry." she apologized, holding her hands up in defense, "No, that wasn't it. It was when you threw that fire ball at that girl."

He tensed up, an action that Angela saw right away.

"You missed. On purpose." It wasn't a question, but a fact.

Francis shifted uncomfortably, refusing to look her in the eye. "...so what if I did?" His voice was so quiet that she almost didn't hear him.

She raised a delicate blond eyebrow at him, baffled by his response. Francis was the kind of person one had to pry information out of, but he just confirmed what she said by not denying it. "Well, why? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you didn't flambe anyone, but it's so unlike you. At least according to your file."

He glanced at the officer and looked away again. The reason he missed was because he didn't like fighting girls. It wasn't because of sexist reasons like "girls can't fight" or anything stupid like that. Talon, Aqua Maria, and Shebang were all proof of that. Fighting girls just left a foul taste in his mouth.

Francis sighed, closing his eyes as he thought. An image of a photograph popped into his mind. The photo had two people in it, a man and a woman. The man had short black hair and dark, almost black, green eyes. He wore a vile smile that seemed to promise pain and his eyes held a kind of malice that chilled a person to the core.

Next to him was a beautiful, young woman with pale skin. She had long, crimson and blond streaked hair that was tied back in a braid. Her eyes were bright, vivid green that were brimming with joy. She wore a grin reminisant of an excited child.

Suddenly, the photo disappeared and was replaced with a most disturbing scene.

It was dark, the only light coming from the occasional flash of lightening. The sound of rain pounding on the house seemed so much louder than it actually was. The crimson and blond haired woman was lying on the floor, struggling to breath. There was a knife in the center of her chest, blood quickly staining her white sun dress. There was a pained expression on her face as she stretched out a bruised and battered arm, as though reaching for something. One sentence escaped her lips before her breathing stopped and her body went limp. _**"I love you, Francis."**_

"...cis? Francis? Francis!"

Francis' eyes snapped open to discover Officer Gore's hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. He noticed that his breathing was labored and that Angela had worry written all over her face. Forcing his breathing to return to normal, he pushed away her hand, brushing off her concern. Walking passed her to the main entrance of the building, all he said was, "I guess I didn't feel like fighting her today."

Officer Angela Gore watched Francis exit the building and stand by her cop car. Taking off her hat, she sighed and ran her fingers through her blond locks. _"This boy has a lot of issues. I've got my work cut out for me."_ she thought, remembering what Francis whispered just before he snapped out of his trance.

_"Don't kill mommy."_

**.:Healing Earth:.**

I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long, but things have been hectic. So, I don't know what would actually happen if a situation like Francis' arose. I just made it like this to fit the purposes of my story. Please tell me what you think.


	3. Alba Terra

Okay, sorry that it's been so long. I've been having a little bit of writer's block with everything I've been trying to write. To my reviewer "it's word of god": I'm well aware that Richie is gay and that his creator also said that he's gay. However, as I said in _A Strange_ _Relationship,_ I'm making him bisexual. More importantly, this is a _**fanfiction**_. The whole point of fanfiction is to have fun with a shows characters and to get feedback on your writing so you can improve. Honestly, I have nothing against gays, but I've always really liked Richie. When I found out that he was gay, I was conflicted but chose to write this anyway because it's just for fun and not meant to be taken seriously. I'm sorry if that offends you or anyone else, but I'm not changing my mind on this matter.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Please leave feed back, I'm not sure on how I did with the fighting scene.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Static Shock_ or it's characters.

__**.:Healing Earth:.**

It was silent as Officer Angela Gore and Francis drove back to her home. Angela had been deep in thought, mind wandering to what had happened to the bang baby beside her. Every once in a while she would glance at him out of the corner of her eye, deeply bothered by his silence as he had not spoken a word since they had left the school.

Angela desperately wanted to help Francis turn his life around. She could see that he had the potential to be a great person if he only tried. While the other officers at the station said he was just a monster, she knew better. She knew that with the way he was being treated it was no wonder he kept acting the way he did. She knew that you had to reach out to others to help them to change. That was why she pushed to be his parole officer and why she volunteered to look after him while the station tracked down his father. She just wanted to help him.

Angela knew first hand that if no one reaches out to you, you don't want to change, nor do you have a reason to. Her parents were never around much. She could count on one hand the number of times her own parents had held her. At school, the other students tormented her daily and she was even beaten up a few times. One day, the leader of one of the school's gangs had come up to her and asked her to join them, offering her "insurance". And for awhile, Angela had considered it. But her older sister found out, slapped her, and called her a moron. It was only after talking to her sister that Angela realized what she had been doing was stupid and she turned the gangs offer down. If it weren't for her sister, Angela knew she would have ended up screwing up her life.

But Francis didn't have anyone like that. No siblings, no friends, no mother, and she could only imagine what his father was like. He didn't have anyone who could reach out to him. He was alone. It was sad, really.

She glanced at him again for the third time in the passed five minutes, trying to figure out what to say to him. When she couldn't think of anything, she turned back to the road.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she slammed on the brakes, causing both her and Francis to jerk forward.

"What the hell?" he shouted at Angela, startled.

Officer Gore didn't seem to notice. She was leaning over the steering wheel, eyes slightly squinted, like she was trying to see something. Looking ahead, Francis was surprised to see Kangor, Ferret, and Hyde coming towards them.

"The Rough Pack." he muttered, more to himself than Angela.

"Bang babies?"

"Yeah." he replied.

"Great." she sighed, reaching over into her glove box to grab a can of pepper spray, "Just my luck."

Francis eyed the pepper spray warily as she put it in her pocket, "What's that for?"

"Just in case. You can't be too careful in this city." she replied, unbuckling her seat belt. Quickly, she radioed for back up and opened the car door.

Hotstreak looked at her like she was crazy. "Are you really going to fight them?"

"Not fight so much as hold off. I just have to stall them until back up arrives." she said with a smile, stepping out of the vehicle.

"What about me?"

"I'm going to trust you not to steal my car or set it on fire. If it makes you feel any safer, you can lock the doors." Angela had said the last part jokingly before she closed the door, as if distracting not one, but three dangerous (well, Francis wasn't sure that Ferret was dangerous as much as he was annoying) bang babies was no big deal for a normal person.

Francis could only watch as the possibly suicidal cop strode over to the thieving bang babies.

Upon closer inspection of said bang babies, Angela saw that they were all carrying bags overflowing with money. _"Definitely stolen. Just my luck."_ she thought. As they came closer, she put her hands on her hips and smirked at them, showing them that she would not be intimidated by them.

"Good afternoon, boys." she greeted as they stopped in front of her, "May I ask where you got all of that money?"

Hyde stepped towards her, sneering and growling. It was useless though, Angela refused to step down. She had taken an oath to protect the innocent and unlike many cops who forget that vow and abused their power, she damn well intended to do what she said she would, bang babies or not.

"You should mind your own business, lady."

"You're stealing." she deadpanned, "I'm a cop. It kind of _**is**_ my business."

Ferret strode over to her, trying, and failing, to scare her. He may have been afraid of other bang babies, but he wasn't afraid if normal people, especially when they were all alone. "You should get out of here before you get hurt."

Angela merely stared at him, sighed, and reached into her pocket. Pulling out the pepper spray, she sprayed Ferret in the eyes, watching uninterestedly as he screamed and dropped the money, causing it to scatter everywhere. Hyde growled in frustration while Kangor covered his eyes, shaking his head in exasperation. If it wasn't for the serious situation, Angela probably would have laughed at Ferret as he ran in circles, screaming with his hands over his eyes. Finally, he ran into a wall and fell over.

Angela almost pitied him. Almost.

She was so distracted by Ferret causing a scene that she didn't see Hyde reaching out to grab her until it was too late. As she struggled, Hyde lifted her up by her arms.

"Let me go!" she demanded, not at all happy with the idea of being a damsel in distress. She became a cop to save hostages, not be one!

"You're causing us an awful lot of trouble, mon."

Angela glared at Kangor for a moment before swinging her leg up, kicking him in the chin. She watched with a satisfied smirk as he stumbled backwards, holding the injured area. By the time he recovered, Ferret was also back on his feet. Hyde lifted her up so he could look her in the eyes.

"You just like causing trouble, don't you?"

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you."

Startled by the new voice, the three bang babies frantically began searching for the source. "Look!" Ferret shouted, pointing to the sky.

Following his gaze, they saw a teenage girl flying towards them on what appeared to be a glowing white chunk of earth. She had long brown hair that cascaded down her back and to her waist, a white mask resting on her pale skinned face. She wore a black leather halter top with a large white _**T **_on it, as well as black leather pants. The outfit was complete with white combat boots that went up to her knees and fingerless white biker gloves that ended at her wrists.

The girl's arms were crossed over her chest, a cocky expression on her face. "You boys sure know how to show a lady a good time." she joked, "But next time, you might just want to buy her flowers."

"Who are you?" Hyde snarled, still not releasing Angela from his grasp.

The mystery girl smirked and bowed theatrically, "I'm new to these parts. The name is Alba Terra and since I'm certain none of you idiots ever took Latin, I'll tell you that it means White Earth. You can all just call me Terra, though." Standing up straight again, her smirk was replaced with a glare. "Now, even though I'm sure you won't listen, I'm going to kindly ask you to put the nice officer down."

"Or what?" Kangor challenged.

Terra descended, stepping off her rock when it stopped glowing. With a scheming smile, she lowered her hands to the paved road. "Or I'll do THIS!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, her hands and eyes glowed an ominous white. All of a sudden the ground started to shake and for a moment, Officer Gore thought it was a small earthquake. Without any warning, the pavement began to move, crawling up Hyde and Kangor's bodies with a water like consistency. Having been caught off guard, Hyde dropped Angela, who dropped onto a small platform that had risen from the ground. Once it sank back into the road, the officer backed away from the bang babies to let Terra work. The pavement stopped moving, hardening, when it reached Kangor and Hyde's chests. They grunted and struggled to get free, but to no avail.

Smiling in satisfaction as she admired her work, Terra removed her hands from the ground and stood up straight. She then turned her predatory gaze to Ferret, who wore an expression of fear, and grinned. "Do you wanna play too?"

Needless to say, Ferret most certainly did _**not **_want to play. Letting out a girlish shriek, he took off in the direction opposite of Alba Terra.

Terra only shook her head, trying not to laugh. Eyes glowing white, several small stones rose from the ground, all glowing white with her power. She threw her hand in Ferret's direction, as though directing the rocks, and they shot after him. One by one, they each pegged him in the head, hard enough to disorient him, but not hard enough to do any lasting damage or draw blood. Ferret stopped running and began to sway as the last pebble hit him.

"One more push." Terra thought out loud, bending over to pick up one last small stone. Like a pitcher would a baseball, Terra threw the stone at Ferret, hitting her mark dead on, and watched as he fell over.

At that moment, the back up Officer Gore had called in finally arrived. Terra walked over to Angela as the other officers went to take care of the bang babies and the stolen goods.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

"I'm fine." the older woman replied, retrieving the pepper spray that had fallen during the fight. It was only when she reached out to pick up the can that she noticed the ugly, dark purple bruises around her wrists. She pressed a finger to the injured area and winced. "Ow."

"You might want to get that looked at, ma'am." Terra suggested, sympathy in her mysterious green eyes.

Angela shook her head, "It's just bruised is all, nothing's broken. Thank you for your help. I'm not sure what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

Terra waved off her comment, a friendly grin on her face. "I'm sure you would have been fine. Now, I hate to have to cut our conversation short, but I have to go." With that, she dashed over to the rock she had flown in on and lifted it into the air. "See you later, officer!"

Angela watched Terra leave as more officers arrived, exiting their vehicles and rushing to her side.

"Who was that?" one officer asked, gawking in disbelief at the young female superhero.

"She said her name was Alba Terra." Angela explained, eyes still on the sky, "She stopped the bang babies."

"Alba Terra? What kind of name is that?" another officer questioned.

"She said it was Latin. It means white earth."

One of the male police officers stared in the direction Terra left, "It looks like Static and Gear have competition."

After explaining the situation and telling the other cops that she had Hotstreak waiting for her back in her car, Angela left them to deal with the Rough Pack. Wordlessly, she got into her vehicle, hooked her seat belt, and started the engine, ignoring Francis' incredulous stare. Sighing, she turned to him and smiled, "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?"

And as they drove away, Francis began worrying about the mental health of his parole officer.

**.:Healing Earth:.**

Sorry, I know that I've been gone really long. It's just been crazy and recently someone in my family has died, so I've been a little depressed. Seeing all of the positive feedback cheered me up a bit, though. As for the fanfic, I plan to have it revolve around Katrina and Francis as I seem to be having more trouble with Virgil and Richie than I thought I would. I hope that you all continue to read my story and leave such good feedback, it really helps. Thank you.


	4. Jealousy and the Bond of Sisters

So I decided to try to update more often. I'd like to thank _**thisismyworld17 **_for the review I received. I'm very sorry for your loss and you have no idea how happy I was to see your review. It's nice to know someone understands.

Anyway, I realize that I didn't say this earlier, but this story is taking place before episode 50 of _Static Shock_ and there's a special reason for it, so keep that in mind.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Static Shock. If I did, Hotstreak would have gotten more screen time.

**.:Healing Earth:.**

As night fell in Dakota, all the street lights and buildings lit up, including the Gas Station of Solitude.

When Virgil finished patrol, he entered the gas station to find Gear watching television. Glancing up from the screen, his best friend waved him over. "V, come take a look at this."

Static walked over and discovered that Richie had been watching the news. The reporter on the screen was saying that the Rough Pack had robbed a bank and attacked Police Officer Angela Gore when she approached them.

"Hey, isn't that Hotstreak's parole officer?" he asked, pointing to her image on the screen, "What was she thinking, taking on the Rough Pack all by herself?"

"Don't know." Richie replied, "But she was doing pretty good until Hyde grabbed her. You missed it earlier when they showed her pepper spraying Ferret."

Virgil stared at the genius in disbelief. "You're kidding!"

The blonde shook his head, an amused smile on his lips, "No, Ferret screamed and ran around for awhile. Then he ran into a wall. I almost felt bad for him. But that's not what I wanted to show you. Take a look at this next bit."

He turned back to the TV just in time to hear the news woman say that the Rough Pack had been apprehended by a new superhero, a girl by the name of Alba Terra.

"A new superhero?" Virgil parroted, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

"Yeah. She's a bang baby, no doubt about it." Richie leaned back in his chair as the two watched Terra encase Hyde and Kangor in stone.

"Why has she just turned up now? I mean, the Big Bang was awhile ago."

Gear only shrugged, "Maybe she got her powers the same way I did and they're just starting to show now. Or maybe she was trying to hide them because she was afraid, you know, like a lot of the others are. Whatever the reason, I'm just glad she's putting them to good use."

"I guess so."

The voice of the news reporter pulled their attention back to the television, "With the rise of a new superhero, could Alba Terra give Static and Gear a run for their money?"

Suddenly, the TV shut off. Richie turned to Virgil just in time to see him slam the remote on the table in a fit of anger.

"I don't think so!"

**.:Healing Earth:.**

A littlelater that night Katrina was watching the same news report in her bedroom with a small smile. All of a sudden, there was a knock at her bedroom window. She jumped and briefly thought it was strange, as her room was on the second floor. Nonetheless, she left her bed and walked over to the window to look outside. She then grinned at the figure sitting on one of the branches of the tree just outside her window.

"So, did all go well, Alba Terra?" she asked, opening the window for the young hero.

The girl climbed in, grinning like a fool as Katrina shut the window again.

"It was _**awesome**_!" she exclaimed, "I caught three bad guys without even breaking a sweat!"

Katrina shut her curtains, giving the other female a hum of acknowledgment as Terra removed her mask.

"I saw. You did an excellent job, Kathrine." she answered, gesturing to the TV.

Alba Terra, A.K.A Kathrine Blake blinked in surprise and looked at the screen. "That's funny." she commented, scratching her head, "I don't remember seeing any news crews."

"You could have just not noticed them, or the footage could have been taken by an amateur and was either given to the news station or posted on the internet. It's not that surprising." she explained, frowning, "You're late. You were supposed to be home much earlier than this. I had to eat dinner by myself, but I saved you some."

Kathrine's grin fell as guilt set in. "I'm sorry. Were you worried?"

"Only a little." she admitted, smiling almost motherly at her sister, "Go get changed and I'll heat up your dinner for you." Katrina left before Kathrine could respond.

Kathrine dragged her feet to her bedroom, changing into her pajamas rather sluggishly. She was tired and felt a little guilty for all the trouble she caused her sister, and not just on that night. As she made her way downstairs, she stopped right before the kitchen entrance at a small table that held two picture frames.

One showed a cruel looking man with brown hair and eyes, as well as a young Kathrine and Katrina. Kathrine was gazing at her sister with malice in her eyes, while Katrina just looked down right miserable.

_**/"An older sister is supposed to take care of and protect her little sister."/**_

__Kathrine sneered in disgust at the photo as the words entered her mind. She picked up the picture and was tempted to chuck it across the room, but placed it face down on the table instead.

She then turned to the other photo. This one showed two women with friendly grins. One had long orange hair and bright green eyes, the other had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Kathrine's gaze softened but held a touch of longing and resentment as she picked up the frame. _"Why did you leave us?"_

"Kathrine, dinner's ready!" Katrina called from inside the kitchen. Kathrine set the picture frame down just before her sister entered the living room. For a moment, the older sister simply stood there, unmoving, staring at the pictures.

"Kathrine?" she asked cautiously, worried. Katrina took note of where her sister's eyes were and of the face down photo.

_**/"Kathrine, please! Don't hurt me! Don't tell daddy!"/**_

__Kathrine's fists clenched, nails biting into her palms as guilt and regret filled her.

Katrina walked over to her and placed a hand on her sister's shoulder, giving her a slight shake. "Kathrine!" she repeated, this time getting her attention.

Emerald eyes gazed at her, remorse swimming in their green depths. "Katrina...I'm so sorry."

Katrina shook her head, smiling. "It's fine. I'm not mad about eating by myself, it was just a little disappointing is all. You're just lucky I'm here to make and save your meals so you don't have to cook late at night."

In truth, Katrina knew that being late wasn't what Kathrine was apologizing for, but for her sake the younger of the two decided to play dumb. Besides, she wasn't angry at her sister for what she was saying sorry for. Katrina loved her sister dearly, despite her faults, just as she knew Kathrine did her. They were all the other had, after all.

Kathrine stared at her younger sister dumbly, _"Not what I was talking about,but..."_

Katrina grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the kitchen table, seating her. "Hurry and eat before it gets cold again." she ordered, sitting across from her with a bowl of ice cream.

The elder of the two blinked and turned to her food. The plate before her was filled with chicken, cooked carrot slices, and mashed potatoes. "You made all of this by yourself?" she asked, picking up her fork.

"Mmm-hmm!" the other hummed, pleased her efforts were noticed, "Yeah, I figured you'd be really hungry so I decided that I could at least do this for you since my powers aren't practical in battle."

"Healing is useful. Besides, you can fight just as well as I can, maybe even better. You could fight alongside me."

The younger girl shook her head, smiling sadly, "Perhaps against a normal opponent I could, but I am at a severe disadvantage with all of the bang babies."

Kathrine said nothing and continued to eat. A peaceful silence fell over them, the only sounds in the air were the clinking of silverware. Ice cream gone, Katrina set down her spoon.

"Did what happened bother you as much as it did me?"

Kathrine paused in her chewing, confused. Thinking for a minute, she asked, "You mean with Hothead?"

"Yes, the fact that he purposely missed bothers me." she admitted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "And he had a look in his eyes. Longing, loneliness, and pain, a lot of pain. I feel bad for him."

Kathrine sighed and set down her fork with a wry smile, already knowing where the conversation was headed. "You want to help him, don't you?"

The blue eyed girl stared at her lap, wringing her hands together. "I think he needs someone to reach out to him and I'm going to try my best to do just that. There has to be a story behind why he is the way he is, no one just decides to behave the way he does without some reason."

Kathrine merely shook her head, "Just be careful, alright?"

Katrina's head snapped up, "What?"

She smiled coyly at her sister, "Please! Like you would actually listen if I said no. I'll be here for you every step of the way. Just don't get barbequed."

A huge grin spread across her face. Shooting up from her chair, Katrina ran over to her sister and threw her arms around her. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Kathrine patted her arm, rolling her eyes playfully, "Yeah, yeah. Now get off so I can eat."

She complied but didn't stop smiling. _"Thank you, Kathrine, for everything you've done for me."_

**.:Healing Earth:.**

That's probably the first time I've ever finished typing a chapter in one sitting. Anyway, if you have any suggestions or advice or you just want to tell me what you think so far, tell me. Review please.


	5. Opportunities

I'm beginning to think that I have bad luck. My allergies have been killing me all summer and three of my relatives, including my mother, have been in the hospital. My summer sucks... I realized, looking back on the chapters that I have outlined at home, that this story is fast paced, but long, so I hope you'll all bear with me. Also, there will be cursing in this story.

**TheodoraTalon: **I'm curious about what your hunch is. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer: **I think that it's pretty obvious by this point that I don't own Static Shock.

**.:Line Break:.**

The next morning, the students of Dakota Union High filed into the building the same way they did everyday, slowly and tiredly. Francis, however, was not among the many students. Instead, he was on the shady side of the building, having slipped away from Angela in the crowd of students, and was tormenting another boy.

"Well? Where's my money?" he demanded, grin malicious as he slammed the other into the brick wall, one hand gripping the front of his shirt.

"I-I-I d-don't have any! I'm s-sorry!" the poor boy stuttered.

"No, you're not sorry. Not yet, anyway. But you will be when I'm through with you."

"P-please! Don't hurt me!"

The pyro pulled his fist back, ready to hit his weak victim, but he paused just before the blow could connect with the boy's face. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see someone staring at him. Turning his head towards the figure with a frown, he saw Katrina standing a good distance away. She shook her head at him sadly, as though expecting better of him. In her blue eyes there was a mixture of disappointment, sadness, and even pity. Then, without a word or a second glance, she walked away, heading inside.

The look she had given Francis burned him up inside. Who was she to judge him, to pity him? She didn't know him, no one did.

With a growl, he returned his attention to his trembling victim, preparing, once again, to beat the snot out of him. This time as he drew his fist back, though, something felt off. Francis didn't feel the unnatural glee of watching the boy in front of him squirm. He didn't feel the satisfaction of seeing the fear in the other's eyes. He didn't, couldn't, feel the superiority that he usually felt knowing that there were very few people who could challenge his power.

Suddenly, it felt **wrong**. The glee, the satisfaction, the superiority, they were gone. All gone. In their place, there was guilt. Only guilt and a horrible twisting sensation in his gut. It was wrong, all _**wrong**_. And, for the life of him, Francis could not figure out why.

Katrina's expression flashed before his eyes.

Growling, Francis dropped the unsuspecting boy and turned his back to him. Glaring at him from over his shoulder, he spoke, "You got lucky this time." That said, he walked away, leaving the confused victim to stare after him in shock.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Francis slipped into the swarm of students unnoticed. He knew why he couldn't find joy in beating up the kid. It was because of that stupid girl and that damn look she had given him. Of course, that didn't explain _why_ it had affected him so much.

So what if she didn't like what he was doing? He had gotten looks like that before and he never lost any sleep over them. So why was she, a girl whom he hardly knew, able to make him feel like the things he had been doing for years feel wrong to him?

Francis Stone had shut off most of his emotions a very long time ago. The only things he had left were anger, suspicion, and any joy he felt when he was tormenting other people. However, this girl, Katrina Blake, was seriously screwing with his head. What irritated him more than that, though, was the fact that she probably had no idea she was even doing it!

_"Why the hell does she care so much? Why can't she just leave me alone? And why..." _he paused and glanced up to see the object of his tormented thoughts laughing with Frieda and Daisy, _"Why does she have this strong hold on me?"_

Growling again, this one loud enough to scare the people around him, Francis stormed over to the entrance of the school building, where Officer Gore had been frantically searching for him.

"Francis," she gasped, worried and annoyed, "Where were you?"

"No where." he replied with an unintended edge in his voice as he brushed passed her, "Let's go. We're going to be late."

Angela watched him, confusion washing over her features. Scratching the back of her head, she mumbled, "Since when does he care about being on time?"

**.:Line Break:.**

When second period rolled around, Katrina walked into her classroom early, only to walk back out and check the number above the door.

_"This __**is**__ the right room." _she thought as she walked back inside, glancing at the teacher behind the desk, _"But that's not the same teacher who was here yesterday."_

The teacher, a young man in his mid twenties with short black hair and dark blue eyes, Saw Katrina and motioned for her to come in. As she approached his desk, he asked her, "What, don't you know where your classes are by now?" His bored and slightly mocking tone caught her off guard.

"That's not it, sir." Katrina replied politely to the rude man, "It's only my second day here and yesterday there was a different teacher. I was just making sure that I was in the right room."

The man nodded and glanced at his attendance book. "Katrina Blake?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Ah, that explains it." he muttered to himself before turning his now friendly gaze to her, "Your science teacher, Mr. Clark, quit because apparently the "Spawn of Satan", as he put it, was in his class."

Katrina almost gaped at the man's words. Teachers could get in trouble for saying those kinds of things to a student, couldn't they? Regardless of the surprising comment, Katrina had a feeling that she knew who Mr. Clark had been referring to. _"Probably Francis."_

It was no secret that he was a difficult student and she had overheard other teachers talking about how they dreaded having him in their classes. From what she had heard, Francis had hated Mr. Clark the most. The man must have been relieved that the bang baby had spent the entire day in the principal's office on his last day before he quit.

"Anyway," he began, breaking Katrina away from her thoughts, "I'm his replacement, Mr. Slaughter. I'm assigning new seats today. You sit there." The teacher, Mr. Slaughter, pointed to a black lab table in the front row. Katrina obediently sat down, placing her books neatly in front of her. "Once everyone gets here, I'll explain what we're doing today."

Slowly, people began filing into the classroom, being seated as soon as they came. By the time the second bell rang, all of the seats were filled except the one next to Katrina.

Mr. Slaughter walked around to the front of his desk before seating himself on it's surface. "Okay, since you're all here-" He was cut off when the classroom door opened and, much to everyone's surprise, a grumpy Francis walked in, Officer Gore trailing behind him with a stern expression. Sliding off his desk, Mr. Slaughter slid off his desk, grabbed his attendance book and a pencil, and strode over to the duo.

"I'm sorry we're late." the officer told him, glaring at Francis all the while, "We got...distracted."

Sighing, the young teacher opened his book, "Name?"

At first, he didn't answer, but then Angela smacked him upside the head. Francis growled at her, rubbing the injured area, then regarded the teacher with a heated stare. "Francis Stone." he gritted out.

Mr. Slaughter nodded, made the mark, and snapped the book closed. "Also known as the "Spawn of Satan", I assume?" Then, before he could even respond, the teacher struck him on the head with the spine of the book.

The red head snarled, hands lighting. Mr. Slaughter, however, was unaffected by his display. "I don't care if you're late to your other classes, but you better not be late to mine. Now if you will kindly take your seat next to Miss Blake, we can finally get started." He gestured to the empty seat with his book.

Hearing the name, the fire in Francis' hands extinguished and he slowly peered over at Katrina, neither quite sure what to make of the situation. For a few seconds, they made eye contact before Francis averted his gaze and took his seat.

Officer Gore, who had noticed the exchange, gave the pyro a questioning look as she headed to the back of the room, so as not to distract anyone.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by the fire demon," Mr. Slaughter deliberately paused to look at Francis, who had his hands in his pockets and was looking anywhere but at Katrina, "My name is Mr. Slaughter and I am your new science teacher. Mr. Clark quit due to the pyromaniac in the front row. Now today, instead of talking about class expectations and rules, which we'll do tomorrow, I'm going to give you a special assignment."

A chorus of groans and disappointed sighs were heard.

Mr. Slaughter merely rolled his eyes, "Oh, cry about it, why don't you? Take a good look at the person next to you." Everyone did and Katrina turned to Francis cautiously. "The person next to you will be your lab partner for the rest of the year. They will also be your partner for this assignment."

Katrina inwardly groaned, not believing her luck. True, she wanted to help Francis, but she was worried about her grades. _"On the other hand,"_ she thought, _"This could be the perfect excuse to talk to him and get to know him." _Excited that she had found her chance so quickly, Katrina grinned.

"Since these people will be working with you all year, you should get to know them." Mr. Slaughter walked over to the board and began writing the directions. "You will have two weeks to learn about your partner and write about them. You can write about what they like, dislike, their home life, school life, interests, hopes and dreams for the future, etc. You **must**, though, have one paragraph written on their personality and another written on what you think of them and why you feel that way. It must be three paragraphs long, minimum. This assignment will help me determine if you and your partner will get along and if I need to switch them. You can have the entire period today to plan when you're going to meet and start your project." He finished writing by the time he completed his explanation.

Facing his class again, he discovered that his students were still staring at him. Mr. Slaughter threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Well? What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? GO!"

Reluctantly, the students started talking amongst themselves.

"So," Katrina began cautiously, unsure of how Francis would react, "let me see your schedule. If we have the same lunch period, we could do our project then, too."

Francis shot her a blank stare and fished his wrinkled and folded up schedule out of his pocket, handing it to her without a word. Carefully unfolding the paper, Katrina discovered that she not only had lunch with him, but several other classes as well, including her third period English class. She folded the schedule back up and returned it to Francis with a friendly smile.

"We have a few classes together, lunch included. If we need to, we can also go over to each other's houses for extra time."

Francis tensed and immediately folded his arms over his chest, refusing to meet her gaze. "My place isn't a good idea."

Katrina noted the sudden change in demeanor. She could sense that he was upset by the mention of his home. "Okay, then. We can go to my house, or the public library if you prefer." she offered, retrieving some paper and a pen from her belongings, "So... I guess I ask you a question and then you ask me a question?"

Francis honestly did not want to do this project, especially not with the girl who was becoming the bane of his existence. However, a thought came to him. This project was a good way for him to find out why she was so dead set on interacting with him and why she could affect him with a single look. _"Who knows," _he thought, growing to like his idea more and more, _"Maybe I can even mess with her head as much as she does mine?"_

Leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, Francis smirked. "Whatever you want, babe."

Katrina's smile fell and was replaced with distaste. Her stare was almost icy as blue orbs locked onto his face. "**Don't** call me "babe"."

Francis shrugged, slightly pleased with her reaction.

"So... uh, can I start?"

"Sure."

"Why did you miss when you threw that fireball at Kathrine?"

**.:Line Break:.**

Cliff hanger! I'm evil, aren't I? But look, I updated! Anyway, I'm in a better mood now since all of my relatives are finally out of the hospital, for those of you who care. Next subject, I can see that there are a lot of people who like this story (or at least it's a lot for me), but I usually get little to no reviews. I realize that it may be a pain, but I don't think I'm asking for too much to have, at the very least, one review per chapter. I will gladly accept more than that, but keep in mind that I want to hear your opinions, ideas, and constructive criticism so I can improve. Please review. 


	6. More Than Meets the Eye

Hi! I finally got a review, so here I am. Just so everyone is clear, this story is taking place before episode 50.

**highlander348:** Thank you for your review! Katrina will be a hero later on. I have an idea already about how they discover each others identities. I'll try to work your idea in somehow. I appreciate your feedback and I hope that you will continue to leave feedback like this again.

** Disclaimer: **I do not own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

_"Why did you miss when you threw that fireball at Kathrine?"_

Francis' smile fell and suddenly all emotion disappeared from his face. Katrina knew that by the reaction she had received that she had hit on _something_. What that something was, she didn't know, but she intended to find out. She would find out regardless of how long it took.

Francis crossed his arms over his chest, a defensive move that Katrina knew all too well. He refused to meet her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She narrowed her eyes, irritation rising within her. Katrina hated being lied to, especially when it was clearly something important. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm. She already knew that getting angry with him would get her no where, something her sister had proved the previous morning.

"You're lying."

The two simple words were enough to anger Francis. He whipped his head around, green eyes set in a deadly glare, lips forming a sneer, a growl rumbling his his throat.

Katrina was unimpressed. "If you don't want to talk about it, then say so, but _don't _lie to me."

Francis growled at her for a few more seconds, but Katrina refused to be intimidated. Whatever made him purposely miss Kathrine made her sure that he would not physically hurt her. Even if he could, it wasn't as though Katrina couldn't defend herself.

Seeing that Katrina was unafraid of him, he looked away. "I don't wanna talk about it." he muttered through gritted teeth.

Katrina nodded, satisfied, an action that Francis found incredibly annoying. "Okay then. What's it like for you at home?"

He turned to her, frowning, "That was two questions."

"You didn't answer my first question." she responded coolly, shrugging, "You answer a question and then you can ask me one."

"Pass." he growled, baring his teeth.

"How do you view your parents?"

"Pass."

"What do your parents do for a living?"

"Pass."

"What's the rest of your family like?"

"Pass."

Francis was furious, but kept himself from lashing out. He couldn't see how these questions related to their assignment and he was beginning to think that she was just being nosy. Why did she care? What right did she have to stick her nose into his business?

It was Katrina's next question that really set him off.

"Why do I see so much loneliness and hurt in your eyes?"

For a split second, Francis' eyes went as wide as saucers, his expression one of complete shock. In an instant he shot to his feet, slamming his hands on the desk in a fit of rage, drawing everyone's attention to them. "**WHAT'S WITH YOU?!**" he shouted, making all of the students cringe in fear, "Who the **hell** do you think you are? My councilor? Do you think that you can just ask me a few questions and we'll be best friends? Do you think that you can **fix** me or something? Why the hell are you even asking these things?"

Katrina, unfazed by the out burst, merely stared up at him as he yelled, waiting patiently for him to finish. It was obvious to her that he wasn't used to people actually wanting to get to know him, let alone show him any form of kindness. He was scared, even if he didn't know it, she did, and she couldn't blame him. She had expected his reaction.

All eyes were on them, tension hanging heavily in the air. Officer Gore stood ready to intervene, just in case Francis turned violent. Mr. Slaughter watched with vague interest in his eyes, wondering if he was right to sit Katrina next to the boy who he knew was the school's misfit. The classroom was deathly silent as everyone awaited Katrina's response.

"Because I care about you." she said quietly, stunning him and everyone in the room, "I want to help you Francis, but you have to let me."

Minutes passed as the class waited for Francis to react. Suddenly, the bell rang, snapping him out of his trance. Glaring down at Katrina, he said, "Mind your own damn business." And with that, he walked out the door.

Undeterred, Katrina quickly gathered up her materials and hightailed it out the door, sights set on catching him.

Mr. Slaughter stared at the door before he smirked and chuckled to himself. "What are you all waiting for?!" he asked his class, "Get out of my classroom!" The students grabbed their things and scurried out of the room without delay.

Officer Gore glanced at the door, then walked up to Mr. Slaughter, who was straightening up papers at his desk with a small grin.

"You knew who he was before he even walked in the door, didn't you, Mr. Slaughter?" They both knew that it wasn't really a question.

He smirked at her, mischief glinting in his dark eyes. "What are you, one of my students?" he joked, "My name is Dominic, Officer."

Angela narrowed her eyes, his odd behavior irking her. "Regardless, _**Dominic**_," she spat, "If you knew how dangerous he was, why on _**earth**_ would you set such a sweet girl next to him?"

He stopped his work, grinning at her. He looked as though he were about to laugh. "Officer Gore, I used to work as a teaching aid in a small town called Amity Park. It is the same place that both that girl and her sister used to live and, believe me, they were anything but sweet back then. I won't go into details, but the Blake girls are reformed trouble makers. They used to be much like Mr. Stone. I suspect that if he spends enough time around Ms. Katrina Blake, she will be able to help him. Just as I suspect that you are helping him at home. He needs that right now. He needs someone to help him. And that girl is just the one to do it."

Angela Gore watched, flabbergasted, as Dominic went to erase his board. "How..." he paused upon hearing her voice, glancing at her from over his shoulder with a coy little smile, "How do you know all of this? I haven't even heard anything bad about the Blake girls, how could they have a criminal record that the police don't know about?"

He chuckled, setting down his eraser, "Another girl, another reformed friend of theirs, went to the corrupt Amity police and struck a deal with them. She would help them catch a would-be murderer, and they would erase the criminal records of her friends."

Angela glared, suspicious of the man in front of her. "How do you know this? Who are you really?"

Dominic laughed, which only served to irritate the police officer further. "My, you're awfully inquisitive, aren't you?" he leaned over his desk, a sultry smile on his handsome face, "Perhaps you'd like to know more about me over dinner?"

Blushing heavily, Officer Gore scoffed and rolled her eyes. As she stormed out the door, Dominic watched her, chuckling. "This year promises to be interesting."

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis stormed down the hallway, students pressing themselves up against their lockers to get out of his way. He was angry, confused, and, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was scared. No one had ever really cared for him before. Not his father, not his gang buddies, not the police, **hell**, not even any of his girlfriends ever really cared about him. There was only one person who had ever _**really**_ cared for him, _**loved**_ him, and she was...

A woman lying in a pool of her own blood, smiling at him, flashed in his mind.

Francis snarled, baring his teeth as he kicked over a trashcan that had been sitting in the hall.

The fact that she cared scared him, and Francis Stone did not like feeling scared. It made him afraid that he could get too attached to her and then she would just...leave, just like all of his other girlfriends who had claimed to love him did. He didn't want to be hurt again, he didn't want to be let down again. He simply could _**not **_handle it.

He was so confused by the way she acted towards him. One day she was comparing him to a spoiled child and the next she wants to hear his whole life story? It just didn't make any sense. Why would she care about him after he tried to incinerate her sister? Well, he didn't really _**try**_, but still...Why did she _**care**_?

He didn't like what was happening. He didn't like it at all. Francis decided that he would stay away Katrina Blake as much as he could. If he didn't see her, if he didn't interact with her, she couldn't affect him.

"Francis!"

_"Aw, shit!"_he thought upon hearing the voice of the one person he was trying to avoid.

"Francis, wait up!" He didn't wait at all, still Katrina managed to not only catch up to him, but keep up with his fast pace. "Francis, what about our project?"

"I'm not doing it." he replied coldly, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked.

Katrina frowned at the response, "You're going to get an "F" if you don't do it and with how much school you've probably already missed, you really can't afford to get bad grades. Especially if you want to graduate and get a good job. Besides, if you don't do it then that means I can't do it and I'll get a bad grade, too. What am I supposed to do, huh?"

"Make something up." he grumbled, "I don't want to be near you." He wouldn't even look her in the eye.

Katrina had expected him to be combative when he realized that she wanted to befriend him. For whatever reason, Francis was scared of getting close to people and he obviously didn't want the vulnerability that came with being scared. He wasn't going to cooperate with her, not willingly. _"Fortunately for me,"_ Katrina thought with a devious little grin, _"This project appears to not only be an opportunity, but could also serve as an incentive for Francis to work with me willingly."_

It was true that Katrina Blake could be very kind, sweet, and caring, but what few people didn't know was that she could also be very manipulative and conniving when the need arose.

"Fine, then." she said, hands resting on her hips as she stopped in the hallway, "How's this, then? Francis loves to collect _My Little Pony_."

Francis stopped dead in his tracks. Katrina noted this and smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. Yes, Katrina Blake was secretly _**very**_ evil.

"His favorite movie is _Cinderella_ and he simply adores stuffed animals, especially pink ones." she continued even as Francis began walking in her direction, "What Francis _**really**_ wants to do in the future is be a veterinarian because he just _**loves**_ small furry anima-" She was cut off when Francis covered her mouth.

Francis glowered at her, a snarl curling his lips as he removed his hand. "You. Wouldn't. _**DARE**_."

"I would!" she stated gleefully, looking oh so proud of herself, "And I will!"

He sighed in defeat, anger deflating. She wouldn't be intimidated by his threats or glares and he certainly wasn't going to _**hit**_ her. Francis refused to lower himself to that level. If he didn't do this stupid project with her, she'd completely ruin his reputation. No one would take him seriously. "What do you want?" he asked with a sigh.

Katrina smiled triumphantly. "I want you to cooperate with me, Francis. I want you to eat lunch with me and, when necessary, meet at my house to work on this project. Then, when the project is over and done with, you can go back to trying to ignore me."

He raised a brow, "Trying?"

"Yes! I'll keep bothering you until you respond. Whether you like it or not, from now on, you're stuck with me."

Francis gazed at her, disbelief written all over his face. What was _**wrong**_ with this girl? "You're actually an evil bitch, aren't you?"

Katrina grinned her widest grin and nodded enthusiastically.

For the third time that day, Francis sighed and turned away. "Let's go, or we'll be late for our next class." He began walking again, this time with Katrina tagging along happily.

A little farther behind them was Officer Angela Gore. She was smirking at the scene she had just witnessed, her arms crossed over her chest. _"I'm starting to like that girl." _she thought to herself, _"I'm also starting to see what that teacher was saying about her being able to help him. She'll be good for him. She'll keep him in line and, more importantly, she'll care for him."_

**.:Line Break:.**

Okay, there may be some AngelaXDominic, if I can work it in. Reviews motivate me to put up chapters faster. You don't even need to sign in or be a member. Reviews let me know how I'm doing and show me that people are actually reading this. Please review!


	7. Secrets, Questions, and Few Answers

Hey, new chapter time! Ugh, I just finished typing up a school assignment and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get an F. Oh well. It's just one assignment. Anyway, moving on.

**highlander348: **I'm glad you like it! I wanted to make Katrina Kind and yet manipulative when she needed to be. I had made Officer Angela Gore on a whim. Originally, she was just going to be there in the beginning, but as I went on she started to play a more important role in Francis' life, which you'll see later. Mr. Dominic Slaughter will also appear more than once. I hope you like the new chapter!

**Warning: **Crude language and use of the F-word.

**Disclaimer:** ...What? I _really _need to say it? I do not own _Static Shock_.

"Katrina," Kathrine began, right eye twitching in annoyance, an irritated smile stretch thin across her lips, "Not to be rude or anything, but, uh... What the_** hell **_is_** HE **_doing here?"

When lunch time rolled around Kathrine, Virgil, and Richie all grabbed the table they sat at the day before while Katrina momentarily disappeared from the group. When she returned, much to everyone's surprise and dismay, Francis was with her. He was silent as they sat down at the far end of the table, opposite Kathrine, Richie, and Virgil, appearing to be very uncomfortable with the situation. Kathrine was the only one who dared to speak.

Yes, Kathrine had agreed with Katrina that Francis needed help. And yes, she had also said that she would support her little sister any way she could. She _did not_, however, recall saying that she would allow the bastard to sit at their lunch table.

Katrina only smiled sweetly at her, "We're working on a project together, so Francis-"

"Hotstreak."

"_**Francis**_ will be sitting with us for awhile so we can work on it."

"And where's Officer Gore?" Virgil asked, glaring at Francis with distrust in his eyes.

"She's getting her lunch from her car." Katrina responded, taking out a pen and a piece of paper.

Unbeknownst to them, Katrina was only half right. Officer Gore had hoped that by leaving Katrina alone with Francis she would be able to continue to help him make progress.

Ignoring the stares of the other occupants of the table, she turned to Francis with a warm smile on her pale face. "Why don't you start asking questions this time?"

Francis sighed as he put his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand. He looked around for a moment before his eyes finally settled on Katrina's locket. "What's in the locket?" he asked, boredom in his voice.

Katrina tensed up and her smile became strained. Kathrine also froze up, which didn't go unnoticed by the others at the table. Richie placed a hand on Kathrine's shoulder, concern in his blue eyes.

"Hey, Kat, you okay?"

Kathrine shook her head and managed a weak smile, "I'm fine."

"...Pass."

Francis raised a crimson brow, the reaction making him curious. "What are your parents like?"

"Pass."

"What do they do for a living?"

"Pass."

_"What is up with this girl?"_ Francis thought, baffled by her behavior. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Kathrine, too, looked tense and there was guilt and sadness in her green eyes. _"Looks like they have some kind of secret."_ Francis straightened his back before leaning back in his chair, arms crossed and eyes on the ceiling. "Where'd you live before coming to Dakota?" he finally asked after a few minutes of silence.

This time, Katrina's smile fell completely and she made no move to hide it. Her normally bright blue eyes were dull and held remorse. Turning away from him, she answered in a sad tone, "We used to live in a small town called Amity Park."

Francis stole a glance at Kathrine, only to find that she had a similar reaction.

Now, Francis Stone was not stupid by any means. True, he wasn't the best student in school, but he was very intelligent in his own way. He had observed people in the past to figure out how to deal with them, like his one battle with Static in the park. He also knew how to read people, he knew when people were hiding things. He wasn't surprised that Kathrine was hiding something, the way she acted on the first day told him that something was up with her. He was surprised, however, to discover that Katrina was hiding something. After all, she acted like such a goody-goody two shoes, he didn't think that she'd have anything to hide.

Now, Francis was torn. He was intrigued by the new information and wanted to know more, but at the same time he didn't want to risk getting too close to her.

On the one hand, he really did want a serious relationship with someone he could trust, love, and be trusted and loved in return. On the other hand, he didn't want to be hurt again like he had been when he screwed up all of his previous relationships. There was also a part of him that was telling him that he was Hotstreak and he didn't need anyone, that he was better off alone. He began wishing his … attraction to Katrina would be like the crush he had had on Frieda, where he'd be attracted to her until the next pretty girl came along. Somewhere in the back of his mind, though, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he focused his attention back on Katrina, who still appeared to be a little upset. Curious, he decided to push further. "Why did you move?"

Katrina shifted nervously, toying with her locket, refusing to meet his eyes. "I..." she hesitated, then sighed. She knew that if she wanted Francis to trust her and open up to her she'd need to open up to him first. But she wasn't ready to talk about _that_ just yet. "I won't go into explicit detail, I wouldn't want to bore you. What I will say is there was... an accident and I just... we just couldn't live there anymore."

When Katrina's eyes began shimmering with unshed tears, Francis inwardly panicked. Of all the reactions he could have gotten, he was not expecting that one. He really hadn't meant to make her cry. He didn't know what to do, he'd never comforted anyone before. Awkwardly, he started reaching out for her, "Uh, hey-"

Receiving a smack to the back of hi head, Francis was cut off. Katrina's tears vanished as she watched Francis rub the injured area with a growl, caught off guard by the whole thing. Looking behind Francis, both teens discovered Officer Angela Gore, who had an irritated expression on her face. She had her hands on her hips, a brown paper bag in one of them, glaring down at Hotstreak.

"Can't I leave you alone for five seconds without you tormenting someone? Honestly, Francis! I thought that you would be above making girls cry." she scolded.

Francis leered at her, clearly mad about being unjustly hit. "The hell!? I didn't do anything!"

"Mm-hm." she hummed, eying him suspiciously, "Then why was she crying?"

"How the hell should I know? Why is it automatically my fault?"

Angela wore a look of false surprise. "_Automatically_? Why Francis," she gasped, "I had no idea that you knew such big words!"

"Fuck you!"

The argument between the officer and bang baby was interrupted when Katrina burst into a fit of giggles beside them. Bewildered, the two stared at her as she clutched her stomach, eyes shut tight.

"I-I'm sorry!" she apologized in between giggles, "It-it's just that you two are so-" Another fit of giggles stopped her. Eventually, she calmed down and turned to Officer Gore, "Francis didn't make me cry, honest. I was just remembering something sad." She then focused on Francis again, "I'm sorry for that. I get a little emotional sometimes."

Francis opened his mouth to ask another question, but the bell cut him off. He growled and stood from the table.

"Francis, sit with us tomorrow so we can keep working on our project." Katrina said, smiling.

He nodded absentmindedly and walked away with Officer Gore, who was complaining about not being able to eat her lunch. _"There's something not right about those two."  
><em>**.:Line Break:.**

It was later that night at about 8:00 when Katrina was walking home, a brown paper bag full of groceries in her arms. After Kathrine had gone out on patrol, Katrina noticed a lack of food in their house. She had decided to go to the store as soon as she noticed, paying no mind to how late it was.

Katrina took her time walking home, humming a happy tune to herself. She saw a dark ally that would serve as a shortcut and smiled. She walked into the ally without a second thought.

"Hey, little girl."

Katrina, not the least bit startled by the voice, turned to see a man with a sleazy grin behind her.

"I beg your pardon, but do you mean me?"

"Yeah, why don't you hand over that bag and any money you have? Do that, and I just might let you leave here."

Katrina sighed, in no mood to deal with idiots. _"Such cliché bad guy lines." _"Listen, I don't want to hurt you so why don't we both walk away and pretend this never happened."

The man laughed at her, "Not a chance, girlie. Now hand over your things." The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, "Or else."

_"This man is an idiot."_

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis was walking through the dark streets of Dakota, hands stuffed in his pockets. He had snuck out of Angela's house while she was distracted and was wandering the the streets to try to clear his mind. _"It's been years since I thought of that night." _he thought bitterly, _"It's hard to believe that mom's been dead for so long."_ A low growl tore itself from his throat, _"I hope that they find that bastard dead!"_

His thoughts trailed back to the two new students. _"They're hiding something, but what?" _He shook his head, scowling at nothing in particular. _"Why do I care? They're just like anyone else at school."_ The image of Katrina yelling at him entered his mind. _"Why did she care, anyway? It's none of her business what I do, and even if it was she wouldn't understand. A goody-goody like her probably had everything handed to her on a silver platter. What would she know about being on your own like I am?" _He saw her disappointed look and instantly felt confused. _"What should I do?"_

Francis stopped walking and stared at the sky. _"What should I do?"_

"Leave me alone, already!"

his head snapped toward the direction of the voice, which was a dark ally. _"That sounded like Katrina."_

"I'm warning you, stay away!"

The second yell broke him out of his thoughts. Francis ran towards the ally and cautiously glanced inside. He saw Katrina and a man with a knife.

"Keep this up and I may just may have to have some _fun_ with you before I leave." the man said.

Francis sneered in disgust. He knew what that man's definition of _fun_ was.

The armed man drew closer, causing Katrina to step back. Suddenly, he charged at her and Francis couldn't sit back anymore.

In a flash, Francis was in front of Katrina, taking the bite of the blade himself. A long, bleeding gash stretched across his chest. Angry and in pain, Francis' eyes turned white, smoke rose from his body and fire formed in his hands.

The man instantly realized who he was and dropped his blade, an expression of pure terror on his face.

"Beat it, you bastard! Or I'll roast you !"

Not needing to be told twice, the man quickly fled.

Once he was out of sight, Francis groaned and clutched his chest. Leaning up against a brick wall, he slid to the ground.

Katrina, who had been too shocked to react when Francis jumped in front of her, gasped as the realization of what happened finally hit her. Dropping her groceries, she ran towards him. She dropped to her knees and slid to his side, tearing small holes in the knees of her jeans. "Oh, my god! Are you okay?"

Clearly he wasn't, but Francis was too concerned with his wound and the blood seeping into his shirt to make a smart remark. "'M fine."

Katrina visibly paled at the amount of blood he was losing. "No, you're not!" she exclaimed, panicking, "We need to get you to a hospital!"

"**NO**!" he shouted, trying to look intimidating, "No hospitals!"

Katrina was at a loss for what to do. She then looked at her hands and grimaced. _"He'll probably bleed to death if I don't do something. I just wish that it hadn't come to this."_ She fisted her hands in her jeans as she returned her gaze to the bleeding bang baby. "Can you...can you keep a secret?"

"Depends." he smirked in an almost playful way, "What's in it for me?"

"Not bleeding to death or ending up in a hospital."

"Fine." he grunted. Neither of her choices were very appealing to him at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, Katrina placed her hands on his wound. She could not suppress a shudder as the warm, sticky crimson liquid seeped through her fingers.

Francis raised a brow at the girl, curious as to what she was doing.

Closing her eyes, Katrina concentrated on the wound.

Just as Francis was about to ask her what she was doing, Katrina's hands began to glow a faint green. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. The green glow spread from her hands and outlined the wound. Slowly, the wound grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared completely. The glow receded back into her hands and faded away. Exhaling, she removed her hands from his chest and opened her eyes.

Francis looked from the cut in his shirt to Katrina, and back to where the wound should have been. He turned to Katrina to see anxiousness in her blue eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"You're... a bang baby?" He was stunned.

She hesitantly nodded.

"You were at the Big Bang?"

Again, she nodded. "I was just outside the fence, but I was still too close."

"Why were you there?"

She sat quietly for awhile, averting her eyes. "...I don't want to talk about it. I promise you Francis, I won't lie to you. There are just some things that I don't want to talk about, not just yet."

Somehow, he knew that she was telling him the truth about not lying to him. Still, the fact that she was a bang baby only raised more answers than it answered. "Why keep it a secret?"

Her blue eyes locked onto his green ones, distress on her face. "I've seen how bang babies are treated, I'm not blind. Everyone either hates you or is terrified of you and I can't live like that! Even Static and Gear get criticized every now and again." She reached for his hands, but paused when she remembered that her hands were covered in Francis' blood. "Please, Francis! Please don't tell anyone!"

Francis just stared at her. Normally, this would be the perfect for blackmail, but for some reason, the mere thought of it made him sick to his stomach. _"What's wrong with me?"_ Looking away he finally said, "Fine."

Unable to believe what he just said, Katrina gawked at him for a few minutes. Then a grin spread across her face and, before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around Francis' neck in a hug.

Well, _**that**_certainly was not the response he had been expecting. Francis tensed up at the contact, unused to having anyone hug him. He sat there awkwardly, not knowing how to react. Part of him was delighted by the action, while another part of him was confused.

When Katrina pulled away she was blushing, a sheepish smile on her lips. "Sorry about that. It's just..." she paused and gave him a heartwarming grin, "You have no idea how relieved I am. Thank you."

Francis couldn't explain why, but at that moment, he was happy. "Uh, yeah." He glanced at the brown paper bag Katrina had been holding, most of it's contents on the ground. "What were you doing out here so late at night?"

Katrina gasped as she remembered that she had dropped her groceries. She hurried over to the bag, trying to wipe her hands on the paper to get rid of the blood before she began to collect the fallen food. Francis picked up an orange that had rolled towards him when her groceries fell. He got up and handed it to Katrina, who smiled gratefully as she accepted it.

"I had just finished grocery shopping and was on my way home." she replied, getting to her feet, "This ally is a short cut home, hence why I took it."

"Don't you think that's dangerous at this time of night?"

"Not if you know how to take care of yourself." she grinned mischievously.

Francis raised an eyebrow at her, "I hate to break it to you, babe, but in a fight healing powers won't protect you."

Katrina smirked coyly, as though she knew something he didn't. "I don't need my powers. I can fight just fine without them. I bet I could even beat you."

He let out a bark of laughter, finding the idea ridiculous. "I don't think so."

She shrugged, smile unwavering, "Believe what you want."

A comfortable silence settled over the two, neither wanting to break it.

Katrina fidgeted and finally said, "It's late. I need to get home. Kathrine's probably worried about me."

"Wait!" Francis called as she began walking away, stopping her, "Let me walk you home." Katrina stared at him with wide eyes and he inwardly cursed himself. _"Damn it! I said that without thinking. What the hell is wrong with me?"_

Katrina was surprised by his offer, but pleasantly so. "Thank you, Francis. I do believe that I'll take you up on your offer."

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Francis followed her as she started walking again.

"So, can I ask you something?" she asked after a few minutes passed.

"Would you actually listen if I said _no_?"

"Probably not."

"Then ask."

"Why did you save me?" she asked, gazing at him with curious eyes, "No offense, but it doesn't really seem like something that you'd normally do."

"It's not." he admitted honestly, "But that guy...he was planning on raping you."

Katrina noted the anger and disgust in his voice as he said _raping_**. **She was quiet, allowing him to continue.

"I can't stand those kinds of people. There's nothing that disgusts me more." He glanced at Katrina, who was smiling at him like she was proud of him, which made absolutely no sense. "What?"

"I knew you were a good person."

Francis scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Have you even seen the news about me?"

"I have. And I stand by my decision."

"How can you tell?"

"Your eyes." she said, "I can see in your eyes that you're a good person."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Oh, please..."

"You also saved me and you clearly have morals."

"I just stepped in because the guy was a rapist. It had nothing to do with you." In truth, Francis wasn't so sure about his statement. He couldn't deny the part about morals, either."

"Ah, but you let him run away instead of letting your rage get the better of you."

"I didn't need to. That bastard will get caught by the police eventually and I know what happens to people like him in jail."

The smirk he wore at the end of his statement disturbed her slightly, but Katrina didn't let it bother her. "You can keep lying to yourself, Francis, but eventually you'll realize it, too."

Francis growled, his patience waning. "Listen you-" He cut himself off when Katrina stopped. "What?"

"This is my house." she answered, "Listen, Francis. I don't know why you became the way you are or why you keep making yourself out to be the bad guy because those reasons are your own. You should know that just because everyone expects you to play the part of the villain, doesn't mean you have to. No one said that you can't trade in your role for another. Just keep that in mind, okay?" Without waiting for a response, Katrina entered her house.

For what seemed like an eternity, Francis stared at the door Katrina had disappeared behind. His encounter with the new student left him feeling more confused than he was when he first met her. Sighing, he turned his back to the housed and began to walk back to Officer Angela Gore's dwelling, Preparing himself for a long lecture.

**.:Line Break:.**

And chapter 7 is done! I hope you enjoyed it! Review please!


	8. Tempers and Secrets

Hi! Yeah, school started up again, so I will try to update more, but things will be crazy this year. I won't forget about you guys, though!

**Guest: **I appreciate your concern, but I wish that **you **would have done a bit of research. I already knew that the creator intended Richie to be gay before I started writing this and not only have I already addressed the issue, but I've also gotten another review telling me that. I don't mean to be rude, but the whole thing is pretty common knowledge.

**brittneyangel: **I'm glad that you like it! I always thought that Francis had the potential to be good, but then they just ended the show. It was very disappointing.

**highlander348: **You appear to be my regular reviewer, so thank you! I'm trying to write the RichiexKathrine scenes, but it's difficult for some reason. Strangely enough, I seem to have an easier time writing about angsty characters. I will try though and I hope that you continue to review. I really appreciate all of the ideas and input my reviewers give me.

**Warning: **Foul language.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

The same night Francis helped Katrina, Alba Terra was flying around in another section of town, looking out for any criminal activity. Suddenly, she caught sight of Static and Gear outside of a jewelery store.

_"That's weird." _Kathrine thought, lowering her rock to the ground for closer inspection. When she reached the ground, she was shocked by what she saw.

The two heroes were bound together by a sticky, white, web-like substance. The same substance covered Static's mouth, preventing him from speaking, and Gear's mask, as the plastic screen protected his face.

Quickly, Terra sprinted over to the two. "What happened to you two?" she asked, attempting to remove whatever it was that was over Static's mouth.

"A bang baby broke into the store and shot this at us when we tried to stop her." Gear explained, "Don't worry about us, we'll catch up. Just stop her!"

Terra pulled her hands away from the white substance on Static's mouth, grimacing at the thin white threads stuck to her gloves. She moved to enter the store, but stopped when the bang baby stepped outside, a brown cloth bag full of valuables in each hand. Terra could not help but gawk at the girl.

She was around their age, probably in high school. Her body was covered in fine, thin black hair, her teeth sharper than a normal persons. The hair on her head was short and black, but her eyes were an icy blue, almost white. Eight spider-like legs grew from her back, suspending her off the ground. She wore a black tank top with a red hour glass on it, black jeans, and black and white sneakers.

Terra took a fighting stance, smirking at the bang baby. "Hey, you plan on paying for those?"

"Out of my way, girl! I don't have time for this!" she demanded, her voice gravelly.

"Well, it's like the old saying goes," Terra began, focusing her power through her feet to manipulate the earth behind the spider girl to move like an ocean wave, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."

The rock lunged at the criminal, but using her insect legs, she jumped out of the way before it even touched her. She landed behind Terra, watching as the earth manipulator stopped the wave of rock before it hit her. Turning around, Terra barely managed to dodge a strange icy blue liquid that the bang baby spat at her. She watched in horror as the liquid landed on a street lamp and melted the pole, causing it to fall on to the shop.

"Geez, lady... Didn't anyone ever tell you to **say it** not **spray it**?"

"That's not my name!" she growled, "I'm Black Widow!"

"Black Widow, huh? I've never heard of you before. Any reason in particular you're turning to crime now?"

Instead of snapping at her again, as Kathrine had expected, Black Widow only smiled at her in a menacing way, unsettling the heroes. "Don't worry. You'll know soon enough." she said, voice ominous.

With that, Black widow leapt again, landing on top of a building behind her. Before she got away, though, Terra shot a small rock at one of her hands, causing her to drop a bag. Terra glared at the criminal as she disappeared into the night.

"...Damn it!" she cursed, both at the bang baby and at herself. Turning on her heel, Kathrine returned to Gear and Static. The two had attempted to cut through the webbing using a mini saw that backpack had, but the substance just stuck to the blade and created a tangled white mess which rendered it useless.

"Sorry." she apologized, tearing the webbing with her hands, "I didn't mean to let her get away. It won't happen again."

Once free, Static ripped the web off his mouth, wiping the few remaining strands away with the sleeve of his jacket. "We had her right where we wanted her." he said, glaring at Terra like she was the criminal.

Terra raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I'm sure."

"Don't butt in on our turf."

At this, she sneered at him, disgusted. "_Your turf_?" she asked incredulously, "_Your turf?!_ What the hell is wrong with you?!" Static and Gear flinched, but this did not stop Terra. "Do you think this is a game? A _popularity contest_?! I became a hero because I thought that with my powers I could help people and that's all I care about! It should be all _**you**_ care about, too! I don't care about the attention or who gets credit for what! You can have it for all I care!" Terra strode over to the fallen bag, stopping once to glance over her shoulder, "I think you should get your priorities in order, Static."

Gear glanced at Static, who was gaping like a fish. He agreed with Terra that Static cared too much about his reputation and in a way was glad that she told him what s_hould _be important when one is a superhero. Of course, he wouldn't have worded it quite the way she did. He and Static were still close friends and he didn't see the point in needlessly hurting him.

Seeing that he wouldn't be reacting any time soon, Gear walked over to Alba Terra, who was kneeling on the ground, sifting through the bag. "You're Alba Terra, right?" he asked. He was hoping that Terra and Static could eventually set aside their differences and work together in the future, mainly because Black Widow's parting words were so ominous.

"That's right." she responded, eyes focused on her work, "Weird..."

"What is?"

"It looks like she just grabbed anything and threw it in here, which makes no sense." she said, closing the bag, "I mean, she was in a jewelery store. Most criminals just take whatever it is they like. It's like she didn't care what she was grabbing, just as long as she took something."

"Maybe she was just in a hurry." Gear suggested.

Terra was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "Maybe. But it's still a little disconcerting." she sighed, getting to her feet, "Unfortunately, since she got away there's very little else we can do. Right now we should be on the look out for any new bang baby criminals, because I have a feeling there's more where she came from."

"_We_?" Static parroted, no trace of anger in his voice.

Terra glowered at him, still not happy about his earlier outburst. "We can patrol together or separately, I don't really care. Just as long as we catch the bad guys." She then walked back to the rock she had been flying on when she was patrolling.

"Hey, where are you going?" Static called after her.

"Home. It's late and I don't know about you two, but I have school tomorrow. I trust that you can return the valuables to the police?"

"Sure." Gear answered before Static could respond.

"Good. Then I'll see you two another time." She smiled at them, waved, and left.

**.:Line Break:.**

The next day,Katrina and Kathrine met up with Virgil and Richie on their way to school.

"Good morning, ladies!" Richie greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Rich, Virg."

Katrina gave the boys a polite nod, smiling, "Good morning, Richie. Good morning, Virgil."

"Yeah, morning..." Virgil grumbled.

"What's his problem?" Kathrine asked, jabbing her thumb in his direction.

Richie laughed, mirth dancing in his eyes as he adjusted his glasses. "He overslept so his sister had to wake him up, and if that wasn't bad enough, he also had to eat her cooking."

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that that's bad." Kathrine guessed.

"Only if you don't like older sisters screaming in your ear like banshees or eating your eggs through a straw."

"Wow, sucks to be you." Kathrine commented, grinning, "I'm lucky. My sister always wakes up early and makes sure that I'm up, too. She can also cook excellent meals."

"Sure," he said with a sour look, "Rub it in, why don't you?"

Deciding that he had been tortured enough, she changed the subject, "Oh, so have you been watching the news about Dakota's superheroes? They were doing a story on it last night." She didn't want to brag, she just wanted to know what they thought about Alba Terra.

Virgil instantly perked up, a small smile on his face. "You mean Static and Gear, right?"

"Don't forget Alba Terra." Kathrine smirked.

Guilt flashed in Virgil's eyes as Richie nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty cool."

"Have you ever seen them up close?" Katrina asked, excitement in her blue eyes.

"Yeah, a few times. They're kind of hard to miss." the blond answered.

"Well, moving from the present to the past, " Kathrine began as they drew closer to the school, "Have any of you studied for the history test tomorrow?"

"I have." Katrina spoke up.

Kathrine shook her head, amusement on her face, "Of course you have. I was talking to the boys."

Both males smiled sheepishly, their expressions telling the girls that their suspicions were correct.

"Yeah, I thought that might be the case. Why don't we meet up after school and study for it?" the older of the Blake sisters suggested.

"Good idea. We can meet at my place. I'll write the address for you at lunch." Virgil told her as they approached the school's entrance.

"If you can use your fingers at lunch. Look!" Richie pointed to a figure leaning up against the wall next to the school doors.

Upon closer inspection, they discovered it to be Francis. They slowed their pace.

"Great. What does he want?" Kathrine whispered.

"A rematch?" Richie joked.

"Well, good morning Hot-head! Thanks for coming to great us!" Katrina frowned at her sister's mocking tone.

Francis scowled, but otherwise ignored her. Instead, he marched up to Katrina, gently took hold of her wrist. Pulling her into the building, the two left Richie, Kathrine, and Virgil to stare after them, confused.

As she was dragged through the hallway, people gave Katrina sympathetic looks, as though she was being sentenced to death. Although with Francis, that was usually the case. She wasn't afraid, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her.

"Uh, Francis?" she asked, baffled by his behavior, "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking you to first period."

"We don't have first period together." she pointed out, "How do you know where it is?"

"I've seen your schedule."

The short answers were beginning to bother her. Francis wasn't the kind of person to beat around the bush. If something was on his mind, he said it, regardless of the consequences. The fact that he wasn't acting like he normally did was unsettling to her. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you doing this?"

He continued walking ahead of her, making her unable to see his face. "'Cause I felt like it."

Katrina was silent for a minute, then she began to giggle when she realized that nothing was wrong.

Stopping, Francis whipped around to look at her, irritation on his face. "What?! What's so funny?!"

She attempted to stifle her laughter with her hand, but to no avail. "I'm sorry. It's just... you're so cute sometimes."

Shock replaced his irritation, followed by embarrassment. A faint blush appeared on his face. "What? I'm not... shut up!" He turned around as she started giggling more. He grabbed her wrist again as he continued to pull her towards her first period class. "We're going to talk about last night at lunch." he informed her, instantly stopping her laughter, "I have questions and we still have that stupid assignment to write."

"Then let's meet in the library at lunch." He gave her a questioning look, not understanding her reasoning. "There will be less people around and it will give us the chance to speak more freely."

"Fine, whatever." he stopped in front of her classroom, "Don't forget. You're not off the hook for last night."

Katrina cocked her head at Francis' strange behavior, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright. Just as long as you understand that I'm not done questioning you either." Smiling as the bell rang, she said good-bye to Francis and entered her classroom.

Turning on his heel, Francis shoved his hands in his pockets and made his way to his own first period class. He was anxious for lunch and hopefully answers to the questions that had plagued his mind all night.

**.:Line Break:.**

When lunch rolled around, Francis was already in the library, pacing due to the fact that he was unable to sit still. Other students gave him odd looks, only to turn away when the bang baby shot a glare in their direction.

Officer Gore, who stood near the library doors, only shook her head at him. Since the first day she had been assigned to him, Angela had tried to give him space, knowing that constantly hovering over him would not help him open up. However, his pacing was starting to bother her.

Francis had returned the previous night with a large cut in his shirt. Worried, she questioned him, but he provided no explanation. He only said that he had taken a walk and bumped into Katrina, then went to bed. She was no idiot, something else had happened that he hadn't told her. She wouldn't press him though. That would get her nowhere fast. All she could do was wait until he decided to tell her. In the mean time, she only hoped that Katrina could keep him out of trouble.

Just then, Katrina walked through the doors, lunch tray in one hand, her books in the other. Spotting Francis, who froze when she entered the room, she smiled and made her way over the table he stood near. She set her things down and took a seat, gazing expectantly at him as she waited for him to do the same.

Reluctantly, he sat, bouncing his knee.

"Go ahead." she told him quietly, "I'm sure there's much you wish to ask."

"...Is your sister a bang baby, too?"

It had been bugging him all night. The Blake sisters were very close. Where one went, Francis was sure the other would follow.

Katrina visibly struggled. She had promised not to lie to Francis, but the fact was that he was still technically a criminal and she didn't want to betray her sister's trust. She had already considered the possibility that he would ask that question, but she couldn't come up with a response.

Francis read her body language and got his answer. "Never mind." he said, watching as she relaxed a bit, "Does she know that you're a bang baby at least?"

She nodded, "She's really the only one I can talk to about my powers." she paused, fidgeting, "You won't tell anyone, right?" Katrina had to ask again, she was still scared.

He sighed in annoyance, leaning back in his chair. "I already said I wouldn't."

She smiled, relaxing, "When I heard the gas tank at the docks explode, I was so scared. The gas was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but it was just... disorienting for me. All I could see was that shimmering purple mist and I couldn't breathe. The gas may have been odorless, but it was suffocating. The more I inhaled, the more I coughed, until I passed out.

"I don't know how, but when I awoke the next morning, I was in my bed. Even after seeing the news on the bang babies, I didn't think anything was wrong at first. I felt fine, there was no change to my appearance, nothing. Or so I thought."

"When did you find out?"

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It wasn't long after the big bang, maybe a week at the latest. I was chopping up food for dinner and I accidentally cut my thumb." Her eyes dropped to her thumb, remembering the incident, "I had sliced it up pretty bad, bad enough to need stitches. I was just about to wrap it up, thinking about how badly it hurt when my thumb started glowing green. Naturally, I panicked and my sister rushed into the kitchen just in time to see the cut disappear. Over time I accepted my powers and learned how to heal others."

Francis nodded, silent, thinking.

"What about you?" Katrina asked, "What was it like for you? What brought you to the docks?"

He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. To Katrina, it looked like he was being defensive. "You were there, you knew what it was like. And anyway, it was a gang riot, isn't obvious why I was there?"

She laced her fingers together and leaned forward, giving him a pointed stare. "Maybe it is," she began, "And maybe it isn't. But that wasn't what I was asking, was it, Francis?"

Hotstreak's temper began to rise. "What****is **_with_** you?" he growled, bouncing his knee faster in an attempt to keep his anger in check. He really wasn't in the mood to be dragged out of school by the security guards and his parole officer for setting the library on fire. "Ever since you met me you've been scolding me and asking me all these damn questions! You're not my fucking shrink, so stop trying to analyze me like I'm some kind of freakish experiment!"

He kept his voice low to avoid drawing attention to them. He was glaring at her now, his irises and pupils were beginning to fade. No smoke appeared yet, but Katrina knew that with Francis' temper it was only a matter of time.

The female bang baby raised a brow questioning eyebrow, "Now you're just being paranoid."

"I am **_not_** being paranoid!" he hissed.

"Okay, then. Answer me this," she leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, a stern knowing look in her blue eyes, "Why do you think that when someone takes an interest in your life it's because they see you as an experiment?"

"Because that's how it's always been!" He was breathing heavily, clearly trying very hard to control himself. He was seething, and Katrina knew that it was probably because she had touched on something sensitive.

"So, your logic is that no one is capable of seeing you as a person." she said, calm despite the furious bang baby before her, "I have to wonder... Is that because they're afraid of you, or because you constantly try to dehumanize yourself?"

The anger was replaced with shock. Francis had not expected her to say that and at that moment he had no idea how to respond.

"You never spend time with anyone else, you're usually by yourself. You continuously threaten, fight, and intimidate other people and you get defensive when someone gets too close. Like I said last night, you're purposely making yourself out to be the bad guy and now I think I know why."

Francis recovered, once again scowling. "Oh please, tell me." he muttered sarcastically.

"You don't want anyone to get close to you."

Francis was dumbfounded, something that did not go unnoticed by Katrina.

"It's obvious to me that somewhere inside you, you want to trust people, you want to let people in, but something's stopping you."

Hotstreak started growling low in his throat. Katrina was right and they both knew it. Francis wouldn't admit it, but she was right. His anger started flaring again, his eyes threatening to turn white. It irritated him to no end that she seemed to know so much about him after such a short time. It was like she could read his mind and he did not like that. Part of him told him that she would use the information against him , while another part of him told him to trust her, that she wasn't like the others. His more paranoid and bitter side won out.

"Tell me Katrina," he said, a sharp edge to his voice, "Tell me what's stopping me." He glared down at her, almost daring her.

"You're afraid of getting hurt."

That was it. Still cautious of drawing attention to them, Hotstreak shot out of his chair, nearly knocking it over in the process, and stalked over to the healer. He gripped the back of her chair with one hand and leaned on the table with the other, his face dangerously close to Katrina's.

"And what would you know, huh? What would you fucking know about anything I've been through?"

She stared into his milky white eyes defiantly, refusing to back down. "I know more than you think."

"How? How would you know? I bet that you've always gotten what you wanted when you wanted it. I bet that everyone handed you everything you wanted on a silver platter. How would you know what it's like to have everyone look down on you? How would you know what it's like?"

Surprisingly, Katrina glared back at him, bright blue orbs darkening. Francis realized that he had probably struck a nerve, but that didn't matter then. She wouldn't back down and neither would he.

Katrina was furious that he assumed that she had never had any hardships. He wasn't the first to make that assumption, with the way she acted everyone thought the same thing. That didn't mean it was true, though. Katrina sighed and slowly closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. It wouldn't help either of them if they were both worked up into a frenzy.

_"Besides,"_ she thought to herself, _"If I want him to tell me anything, I need to give up something about myself first."_

Even knowing this, she hesitated. What she was about to share would rip open a fresh wound that hadn't even fully closed yet. Logically, she knew that she couldn't run from it forever, but that didn't make it any easier.

Slowly, reluctantly, Katrina looked at Francis, shame, guilt, and sorrow in her eyes. "I know," she whispered, voice shaky, "because I used to be in a gang myself."

**.:Line Break:.**

Okay, chapter eight is done. Sorry again, but school is taking a lot out of me. Reviews motivate me, though! Please tell me what you think!


	9. Finally Friends

Helloooo~! I got two reviews! I'd like more of course, but I still have reviews!

**brittneyangel: **Don't write off your guesses so soon! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.

**highlander348: **Thank you for your input! I think that a lot of Static's hostility towards other heroes is because of his ego as well as the fact that he believes protecting Dakota is his job. The way Terra called him out on it caught him off guard, though.

**Warning: **Foul language.

**Disclaimer: **...Do I really have to say it? I don't own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis staggered back, shocked. "W-what?"

Katrina sighed again, running a hand through her hair. "It-it wasn't like other gangs. We didn't have messed up initiations like others. When it was starting out it was just two girls, the two school misfits. The one girl, Victoria, was our...leader." she sneered as she said the word _leader_, like she was disgusted by it. "The other girl was Charlotte. She was technically our second in command, but everyone respected her and liked her more than Victoria. She was wrapped around Victoria's finger though, so she did what she told her to, and we did what Charlotte did." she paused, refusing to look at Francis, "We disbanded a while ago after a series of...unfortunate events. Long story short, we locked up Victoria in jail and Charlotte made us split up by moving away. We're not allowed to have any contact with any former members, save those of us who were related."

"Y-you were in a gang? You?" Hotstreak simply could not wrap his mind around the idea.

She gave him a dry, humorless smile. "I told you that you weren't the only one in the world with baggage."

Francis stared at her incredulously a moment. Slowly, he went back to his seat, throwing himself in it. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to comprehend what she just told him. "You were in a gang." he repeated, "But why? You seem so much...smarter than that."

"I had thought so too, but that's a story for another time." she glanced at him warily, "I don't think I have to tell you that I don't want anyone to know. I came to this school for a second chance."

"I won't tell." he assured her, calm now, "But why are you telling me this? Why trust me?"

"Because I want you to trust me." she looked him dead in the eyes as she spoke and the sincerity almost scared him with how intense it was. Katrina reached across the table and grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "I want you to be able to talk to me, to rely on me. I want you to be able to call me a friend."

That was not the response he had been expecting and her blunt honesty startled him. "Why?" was all he could manage.

"Because you need a friend, at least one person you can trust. And to be honest," she said, giving him the most dazzling smile he had ever seen, "I need a friend, too."

Francis was stunned, heart beating frantically. Katrina waited patiently until he recovered. Finally, he withdrew his hand from her hold, shoving his hands in his pockets as he turned his head away.

"I was there with my gang that night." he began, focusing on the writing on the spines of the books lining the library's book shelves, "I never saw any of them after that night. I guess, in a way, I didn't really care about them anymore. I had powers, could do anything I want. I know that's shallow, but I can't change how I feel." He paused, sighed, and rested his neck on the back of his chair. "Anyway, it was the night that all of the city's gangs got together to settle their differences, permanently. A lot of guys brought weapons, but I didn't. I always thought that they were cheap and I preferred using my fists to fight. That night, I was there for only one reason: a gang leader named Wade. We were always going at it and I wanted to show him what happens when you mess with me." Francis narrowed his eyes at the ceiling, thinking. "Actually, I remember seeing Virgil there."

"Virgil?" she questioned, surprised, "Are you sure about that?"

He nodded, "Yeah, Wade had taken an interest in him, so he probably dragged him there. Must have run away before the cops blew up the gas." Green eyes met blue as he continued his story, "I don't know what it was like on the outside of the fence, but inside... it was something out of a horror movie. Like you said, it was hard to breath, hard to see, but all around me people were mutating. Some started glowing, others melted, and all around I could hear people choking, trying to breath, and screams. They screamed like they were in pain, like they were dying. It was a relief when I finally passed out."

Katrina gazed at him sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Francis."

"When I woke up," he went on, not wanting to be pitied, "I was in the hospital and a nurse was taking my temperature. My body felt like it was on fire and for awhile it was unbearable. Then, the pain just stopped and the heat... it was like I wasn't affected by it anymore. I can touch a fire now and it won't burn me. My average body temperature is higher now and I can adjust it anytime I want. You already know that I can make fire anytime I want." He looked away again, hands still in his pockets as he leaned back in his chair.

He knew how expressive a person's eyes were and he didn't know how good Katrina was at reading people, but he didn't want her to see how she affected him. It became clear to him that she was dead serious about befriending him. After all, she had told him the two things that could ruin her. One doesn't do that just to mess with someone's head. Francis realized that her kindness was genuine and her intentions pure, and, in a way, that scared him.

When ever he had any relationship with a person, formed any kind of bond, he always inadvertently messed it up, despite how hard he tried not to, and in the end he was always the one who got hurt. He was scared, though he'd never admit it out loud, to let anyone in.

But Katrina was different, he knew. She was reaching out to him, she was patient with him and his temper, she went out of her way, made herself vulnerable just so she could gain his trust, his friendship. He got a familiar warmth in his chest as he gazed at her pretty face and thought of all the things she had done, and somewhere in the back of his mind he acknowledged the fact that what he felt for Katrina was more than just a mere crush.

One part of him, the angry and bitter gang banger with a chip in his shoulder, told him not to get attached to her, that he didn't need her. For the first time in his life, Francis told that part of himself to shut up.

It was true, he was afraid of getting attached to people and he was more afraid of getting attached to Katrina because of the damage she could potentially do. However, he decided that he was tired of being alone, tired of shutting everyone out. Slowly, she was taking down the wall he had built around himself long ago, brick by brick, and surprisingly, he found that he didn't mind all that much. Besides, it was obvious that Katrina wouldn't leave him alone.

He was going to let her in. He was ready to let her in, ready to not be alone anymore. Of course, that didn't mean that he was just going to tell her his whole life story, some things were just hard to talk about, but he was sure that, in time, he would eventually tell her everything. It wasn't like she was going anywhere anytime soon.

Francis laughed at himself for his own ridiculousness, surprising Katrina. She was even more surprised when he gave her a handsome, boyish grin. "Ya know, you're pretty strange. But I think I like that about you."

Though his sudden change of behavior confused her, it also made her feel overjoyed. She had heard the unspoken words in those two short sentences. He accepted her. Accepted her as what, she didn't know. It was a start, though, and it made her happy nonetheless.

She returned his infectious grin with a toothy smile of her own, "I'm glad."

"Well, if it isn't F-Stop."

Francis froze upon hearing the deep voice. He visibly paled, muscles tensing as his eyes went wide. Katrina thought he looked like he had seen a ghost.

They both turned to the source of the voice to find a tall, African American male who was glaring down at Francis.

Quickly hiding his shock, Francis growled at the boy, leering.

The boy only smirked in amusement, crossing his arms, "Or should I call you Hotstreak now?"

Francis shot to his feet, eyes turning white. "Wade..." he snarled, warningly.

"I'm surprised to see you here. I thought for sure that you'd be sitting in a prison cell somewhere."

"Funny," Francis said, smirking despite the situation, "I was just about to say the same thing to you. I didn't think you even survived the big bang since you disappeared right after."

"I was away for awhile." Wade replied, "But I'm back now and we still have unfinished business."

Francis growled, looking like he was ready to strike. Katrina rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. He turned his heated stare on her.

She gazed up at him pleadingly, "Please don't do this, Francis. He's not worth it."

His eyes faded back to green. He couldn't start a fight with Wade in the cramped library, not when there was a risk that Katrina could get caught in the cross fire. Not to mention the fact that if he got into a fight he'd get dragged away by his parole officer and possibly go back to bang baby confinement. He didn't even know if Wade got any powers from the bang, let alone know what they were. No matter how he looked at it, Wade would have the upper hand if they fought. He wasn't stupid, he'd wait and watch until the advantage was his.

That didn't mean it didn't piss him the hell off to have to back down.

Tersely, he lowered his arms to his sides and turned away from Wade. "This isn't over, Wade. We'll finish this another time."

Katrina didn't protest to Francis' threat. She knew even without being told that this was the Wade from his story, and that eventually, regardless of who started it, they would have to settle whatever it was between them one day. She was just glad that he listened to her. Being in the library, there was a lot Francis could set on fire if he used his powers, not to mention all the people who could get hurt. She didn't much care for the dark look in Wade's eyes, either.

"Taking orders from a girl, Francis?" Wade taunted, smirking when the pyro tensed up again, "Is she another one of your girlfriends? How long until you mess this one up?"  
>That struck a nerve. Francis' eyes flared white and purple smoke began to collect around him. He whipped around to face Wade, growling low in his throat.<p>

The satisfaction was clear in Wade's eyes. It was obvious that he got a sick, twisted pleasure from hurting Francis any way he could, physically, verbally, or emotionally.

"When will you learn that no matter what you do, you're a monster to the core? No one could ever stand to be near you long."

Hurt flashed in his eyes and despite how fast he was to hide it, Katrina saw it. Her blue orbs darkened as they narrowed dangerously at Wade. She had had enough of him and her usually limitless patience was beginning to wear incredibly thin.

Katrina picked up a red apple from her lunch tray and tossed it in the air a few times. While she was normally the calmer, less violent of the Blake sisters, the way Wade was talking down to Francis was, in her opinion, unacceptable.

She chucked the apple at Wade's head. Francis gaped at her, absolutely stunned, as the apple fell to the carpeted floor. Wade didn't even react when he was hit, instead choosing to give the healer a raised brow, as though he wasn't quite sure what to make of the action.

"Shut your mouth already." she told him, glaring at Wade in a distinctly un-Katrina like manner.

Francis almost didn't recognize her. Normally smiling lips were set in a sneer. Usually cheerful and warm bright blue eyes were narrowed to slits, irises dark, angry, and malicious. Francis could now see how Katrina was once in a gang, he could now believe it. He could also see that, while usually hidden well, Katrina clearly had a chip in her shoulder. He didn't know what could have happened to her to make her that way, but he was curious to find out.

"In case you haven't noticed," she continued, voice eerily calm with an underlying threat, "We are in a library. People come here to study and work on assignments. Why don't you be courteous, shut your mouth, and keep your bullshit opinions to yourself? I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one growing tired of listening to you run your mouth."

Francis' jaw dropped, anger replaced with shock. His eyes faded back to green and the smoke dissipated as he tried to comprehend the words that just left Katrina's mouth.

Wade glared down at the small female. He didn't like being disrespected, especially by people he didn't know. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. Or are you deaf as well as dumb?" Katrina taunted.

"You've got a lot of nerve, girl."

"I don't particularly like people like you." she continued, ignoring Wade, "You throw your weight around and intimidate others any way you can to get what you want. You constantly look down on and belittle other people like you think you have the right to. Quite frankly, it pisses me off. You don't know Francis and you sure as hell do not have the right don't have the right to pass judgment on him."

Wade scoffed in disbelief, "You're defending _**him**_? Why would you want to do that?"

"Because unlike you, he's not a complete ass."

"Watch your mouth, girl."

"Only if you watch yours."

They stared each other down, both past the point of using words. The air was tense between them and it seemed as if the littlest thing would set them off. Francis was too stunned to react, all he could do was watch them.

"Is there a problem here?"

Francis never thought he'd be so glad to see Officer Angela Gore.

Angela stood behind Wade with her hands on her hips, giving the tall male a pointed look. Though she had been standing off tot he side and hadn't heard the conversation, she had seen the way both Katrina and Francis had looked at him. It was obvious that Wade had been causing some sort of trouble.

Wade glanced at Katrina one last time before turning to Officer Gore, disdain in his eyes. "No, Officer." he said through gritted teeth.

She nodded. "Good. I was afraid that there would be trouble." She then gazed at Francis and Katrina.

Katrina had her eyes closed, index finger and thumb pinching the bridge of her nose as though she had a headache. She was taking deep breaths, leaning on the library table with her free hand.

Francis still appeared to be in shock. His eyes were focused on Katrina, a mix of emotions on his face.

"Why don't the two of you head to your next class?" the officer suggested, "I'll catch up soon. Behave, Francis."

They both nodded numbly, collected their things, and left. Angela turned back to Wade as soon as the library doors closed, Scowling at him with a silent warning glinting in her blue eyes.

"I know who you are, Wade Glover." she told him, "And I know about your history with Francis."

"Is there a problem, officer?"

He attempted to play dumb, but Officer Gore wasn't buying it. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glowered at the former gang leader. "A problem? Why don't you tell me? Records say that you and Mr. Stone have been at each others throats for years, that you'd do anything in your power to make the other miserable. I'm not worried about Francis causing trouble, not with that girl at his side. You, on the other hand, I don't trust or like."

His eyes narrowed at her, as though he was silently telling her to mind her own business. But just like Hyde, Angela wouldn't be intimidated and instead she returned his heated stare with just as much intensity.

"I don't know what you mean, officer."

The blond chuckled darkly, having expected his words. "Oh, I'm _**sure**_ you don't." All traces of any kind of humor vanished, her scowl returning. "You listen to me, Mr. Glover, and you listen good. Francis has made more progress these past few days than he has in years. If you do anything to hinder that progress and cause him to revert to the way he used to be, if you so much as lay a _**finger**_ on him..." she paused and drew closer to Wade, baring her teeth warningly, "You and I are going to have a _**big**_ problem. Are we clear, Mr. Glover?"

He grumbled something unintelligible, gritting his teeth.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Louder if you please, Mr. Glover!" she barked.

"We're clear." he growled.

Feeling satisfied and a little smug, she nodded to him with a sickeningly sweet smile tugging at her lips, "Good. I'm glad that's settled."

Wade opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut off by the bell.

"Well, there's the bell." Angela chirped, "Have a good time in class." With that, the officer left the library, Wade glaring at her back as she walked away.

**.:Line Break:.**

As Francis and Katrina retreated from the library, an uncomfortable silence fell over them. Katrina felt tired from her outburst and Francis kept fidgeting beside her. She had shocked him and she was pretty sure she had only added to the list of things he wanted to ask her.

She sighed in defeat, knowing that he was inevitably find out. "Go ahead. I know you want to ask about my... display in the library and you deserve an answer."

"Alright," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "What the hell was that?"

She sighed again and tiredly rubbed her eyes. "I'm sure you've noticed this, but I am normally a very patient person. I've always been that way, even in my gang days, it's just in my nature. It takes a lot to make me lose my temper, but when I do I... become extremely aggressive." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to find him staring at her intently, "_**That**_ is a result of my gang days, though I can't tell you exactly when it developed. I'm... sorry you had to see me like that."

"What? Throwing apples at people? That was actually kind of funny." He grinned as Katrina chuckled at her own actions.

"I'm glad you found it amusing." she joked. Katrina quickly sobered as she recalled the expression Wade wore as he watched them leave. "In all seriousness, though, what are we going to do?"

"_**We **_are not going to do anything." he said, "_**I **_am going to lay low and try to figure out what Wade wants. Normally he would just hit me as soon as I started talking back, but he didn't and I don't like that. He's up to something, I know it." Francis shook his head and looked at Katrina, mildly irritated. "_**You**_ shouldn't have even gotten involved. Now Wade is pissed at you and I _**know**_ he'll try something to get back at you. Seriously, what were you thinking?"

"ME?!" she huffed indignantly, appearing to be slightly offended, "What, did you expect me to just sit there quietly and twiddle my thumbs as he talked down to you like you were scum?"

"Well, actually, yes."

"NO!" she hissed, voice rising, "You're my friend and I didn't like the way he was talking to you!"

"It doesn't matter. I don't know if Wade got any powers from the bang, but I do know that he was tough before. Who knows how dangerous he is now."

Francis was concerned. Gang or no gang, Katrina was considerably smaller and thinner than Wade and her healing powers wouldn't help her in a fight. _"With a sick guy like Wade," _Francis thought, fists clenching at his sides, _"Who knows what he'll do."_

"I think it's sweet that you're so concerned with my safety," Francis scoffed as Katrina smiled sweetly at him, "But I _**can**_ take care of myself. Shocking, I know, but it's true."

He said nothing, choosing instead to frown at the dirty tiled floor. Katrina stopped walking and grabbed Francis' arm, causing him to do the same. He turned to her, eyes questioning.

"I'm your friend, Francis, even if you don't think the same of me. Whatever Wade is planning, I'll be there to help you, no matter what." she playfully punched his arm, "Whether you like it or not."

"Not." he said firmly, though he knew he already lost the battle, "But I guess there's no stopping you, is there?"

She grinned, "You're learning."

Francis sighed and looked away, briefly wondering why he gave up so easily. "...You should warn Hawkins about Wade."

Katrina's smile disappeared as she recalled his story.

"I don't know why, but Wade always wanted him in his crew. Now that he's back, I'd bet anything he'll try again."

The bell rang, but neither of them moved. Students swarmed out of their classrooms, pouring into the hallways and flooding them with chatter as Katrina only stared at Francis. Reluctantly, he looked back at her, his expression guarded. Other students brushed past them, paying them no mind, and still they didn't move.

Francis had shown concern for someone other then himself. Even more remarkable, it was Virgil, one of his old targets. Katrina knew he only did it because she was friends with him and that if she called Francis on it he'd deny it, but it was a start.

Finally, Katrina grabbed his hand and offered him a broad smile, causing him to look at her with wide eyes. "Let's get to class."

**.:Line Break:.**

A few hours after school was over, Katrina and Kathrine were walking to Virgil's house so they could study for the history test together. Katrina told her older sister what had transpired in the library that afternoon and needless to say, she was shocked. Kathrine didn't like that the younger girl told Hotstreak that she was a bang baby, or the fact that she told him about her gang days, but she also knew that it was Katrina's choice alone to decide who she trusted with the sensitive information. She was also worried about Virgil and agreed that they needed to warn him as soon as possible.

When they arrived at Virgil's address, Katrina politely knocked on the door. From inside, they heard a door slam, followed by loud voices.

"One night, Adam! One night!" a furious female voice yelled.

"But, Sharon..." came a pitiful male voice, softer than the female's.

"I don't want to hear it! Why don't you just leave the crime fighting up to Static and Gear for just one night?!"

"Sharon-"

"NO! Don't you even finish that sentence!"

The sisters exchanged looks.

"Maybe now is a bad time." Katrina suggested, "Or perhaps we have the wrong address."

"Only one way to find out."

Katrina watched in horror as her sister pounded her first on the door. They heard thundering footsteps come closer to the door until they finally stopped. Suddenly, the door was thrown open, causing Katrina to jump behind her sister as a very irate young African American woman came into view.

"What do you want?"

Kathrine merely arched a brow as Katrina cautiously peered over her shoulder. "Gee, is that how you greet all your guests, or are we just special?"

"Sharon, stop scaring my friends!"

Katrina was immensely relieved when Virgil came to the door way, pushing the angry woman aside. "Sorry about that." Virgil said, glaring at his sister as she walked into the kitchen, "I know how scary Sharonzilla is."

"Is this a bad time?" Katrina asked quietly.

_"How is it that she'll have a staring match with a gang leader and possible bang baby with no problem, but she's afraid of an angry girl?"_ Kathrine thought.

"No, no!" he exclaimed, "It's okay. Come on in, Richie's already here."

The girls followed Virgil into the house, shutting the door behind them. They eyed the kitchen door warily, hearing hushed and heated voices from behind it. Entering the living room, they saw Richie sitting on the couch, attention focused on an open history text book in his lap. Looking up, Richie smiled at the trio as they took their seats.

"Hey, glad you weren't scared by the feral beast." he greeted.

"Yeah, what was that about?"

Katrina elbowed her sister, gazing at her with disapproval in her eyes. "Kathrine," she hissed warningly, "that's rude! It's none of our business!"

"It's fine, Katrina. Sharon's just yelling at her boyfriend."

As if on cue, the kitchen door flew open and Sharon stormed up the stairs. "I don't want to talk about it, Adam!"

Then, a male that Katrina and Kathrine recognized as the hero Rubberband Man followed her out of the kitchen. "Sharon, wait!"

Kathrine and Katrina watched him walk up the stairs, wide eyed.

"Isn't that Rubberband Man?" Kathrine asked.

"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out why he'd want to date my sister."

"Speaking of terrifying people," Richie interrupted, "How was your lunch with Hotstreak?"

A look of dread came onto Katrina's face. "About that... Francis and I ran into someone rather unpleasant, someone you know."

"Who?"

"Francis called him Wade. He said that Wade had wanted you to join his gang and he thinks he'll go after her again."

"Wade?!" he repeated, panicked, "I didn't think he survived the bang!"

Katrina sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. "Francis said the same thing. He seemed pretty spooked that he was back."

"Wade and Hotstreak were always at each others throats." Richie mused.

"What happened?" Virgil asked.

"Not much. Wade talked down to Francis, but if he does have powers, he didn't use them."

"Tell them what else you did." Kathrine told her, her expression exasperated.

"What? What else happened?" the boys asked.

Katrina fidgeted under the gazes of her friends. "I may have...kind of...sort of...threw an apple at Wade."

"_**WHAT**_?!"

"He was being a jerk! He deserved it!"

It was Kathrine's turn to sigh as she crossed her arms, slightly irritated with her sister's rash actions. She knew that Katrina was smarter than that and it annoyed her to no end that she had stuck her neck out for someone who probably didn't appreciate it. "Regardless of whether or not he deserved it, that was very stupid of you. Now he's going to go after you, too. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Francis said that, too."

"Pushing _**Francis**_ aside for a moment," Kathrine began, making it quite clear that she did not like the bang baby, "What are you going to do, Virg?"

"Not much I can do." Virgil said grimly, "All we can do is wait and see what Wade does."

And they did wait.

**.:Line Break:.**

Another chapter done! Sorry if things between Francis and Katrina seem to be moving quickly, but I needed to speed things up a little. And, yes, Wade has returned and I gave him a last name because he didn't have one. I always felt that it was strange that Wade was made out to be such an important character in the first episode and then he just...disappeared. Which I always found kind of irritating and he will play an important part in this story. Anyway, review please!


	10. The Nightmare Begins

Hey, it's time for another review. I did a time skip because I needed to get the story moving, I hope no one minds. So, chapter 10! Yay, double digits!

**brittneyangel: **I'm very glad that you like it and I hope that you will continue to tell me what you think.

**highlander348: **Thanks for your input, I was afraid I was moving too fast. There's only one part of the story that may drag on, but it's for a good reason. I'm sorry to say that Katrina's big appearance as a superhero doesn't happen until much later, poor planning on my part. However, that doesn't mean that she won't be fighting at all until then, so I hope you'll keep reading.

**Guest:** Thank you for reviewing. I always found it annoying how they never went into his past, either. All we really got was that he spent two years in a hospital, and they don't even tell us why! And about Amity, it may or may not play a part later, depending on if I can make my ideas fit together without it being stupid.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **When I saw your review for chapter 6, I couldn't stop laughing! I thought that bringing back Wade as a main bad guy would be a good idea, seeing as how we never find out what happens to him after the bang. He was never even mentioned again, it was like he never existed or something. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Warning: **Foul language and violence.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

Three months had passed since then and Wade had done nothing. During those three months there also had been no sign of Black Widow or the people she was working with. Kathrine, as Alba Terra, had teamed up with Static and Gear more as time passed and eventually Static warmed up to her. Despite this, the two boys did not reveal their secret identities to her, nor did they show her their hideout.

Katrina spent more and more time with Francis and the two were almost inseparable, though there had not been an exchange of sensitive information between the two since the day in the library. Not that either of them minded. They trusted each other. In that time, Katrina had also made friends with Frieda and Daisy.

Francis had just barely toned down his temper, just enough so it wouldn't get him into trouble as much, and his criminal acts were less noticeable. Katrina knew, though, and constantly expressed her displeasure. His feeling for the girl continued to grow the more time they spent together and he still felt confused and conflicted. The more he got to know her, the more he feared losing her. She was his only friend and he didn't want that taken away from him. Of course, Francis being Francis, told no one, not even Katrina, of these thoughts and feelings.

All things considered, it had been relatively peaceful, and that worried Virgil, Richie, Kathrine, Katrina, and Francis. They all felt as though it was the calm before the storm, but they tried to push it to the back of their minds and just live their lives. It worked, for awhile, but little did they all know that things were about to take a dramatic turn for the worst.

**.:Line Break:.**

It had started out just like any other normal Friday. Kathrine and Katrina walked to school with Virgil and Richie, ran into Officer Gore and Francis, and went to class. Katrina ate lunch with Francis in the library, as the pyro was not comfortable sitting with her other friends in the lunch room, and then they went to their afternoon classes. Francis walked her home after school as Kathrine had gone to hang out with Virgil and Richie and he was worried that Wade would try to pull something while she was alone. It was a few hours later as she began getting out items to make dinner when Kathrine came through the front door.

Katrina, holding a metal cooking pot, smiled and poked her head out of the kitchen to greet her sister. She stopped, though, when she got a good look at her.

Kathrine's shoulders were slumped and her green eyes were down cast, looking dull, empty, and hurt. The younger girl watched her sister as she dragged her feet towards the couch, collapsing face first on it.

_"Uh, oh. I hope she's okay."_ Katrina thought, biting her bottom lip. "Kathrine?" she called out softly, "What's wrong?"

"Life sucks." came the muffled response.

"Well, yes, but that's not enough to make you this upset." she said with a frown, "Please, Kathrine, tell me what's on your mind."

The elder girl turned her head to the side and heaved a depressed sigh. "I wish I was a man."

Katrina, stunned into silence, dropped the metal cooking pot, and gaped at her sister like a fish. The sight would have been humorous, had the situation not been so serious.

"May I ask why?" Katrina asked when she finally found her voice, walking over to the couch.

To say she was concerned would have been an understatement. Kathrine had never expressed any desire to be the opposite sex, despite the fact that she often acted like one, and as far as Katrina knew she had only ever shown an interest in dating males. Not that Katrina would love her any less if she ever did get a sex change, but Kathrine's sudden declaration made her think that there was a story behind her wish.

Kathrine sighed again and sat up, refusing to look at her sister. Katrina took a seat next to her and waited patiently for her to speak.

"I told Richie how I felt."

Over the past three months, Kathrine had developed feelings for Richie and had told Katrina of them before.

"What happened?" Katrina asked cautiously, though she already had a pretty good idea.

"...He told me he was gay."

Katrina gave her sister a sympathetic look. "...I'm sorry, Kathrine."

She nodded and stood. "Yeah. Everything's cool between us. We're still friends, so I guess that's okay."

The younger sibling watched curiously as her sister began walking up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting ready." she said, voice flat, "I have to go meet Static and Gear for patrol."

Katrina could only stare at the stairs, worried. She knew that Kathrine always masked her emotions and only let them out when she was sure no one else was around. Whatever she showed on the outside, Katrina knew it was ten times worse on the inside.

"Be safe, Kathrine."  
><strong>.:Line Break:.<strong>

The night air was cool as Gear, Static, and Terra flew over Dakota. The three were silent and calm, focused on finding anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, the crash of trash cans in an ally below grabbed their attention. Fleeing from the ally, they caught sight of the familiar form of Black Widow.

"Looks like someone has a pest problem." Static said, following the bang baby.

"Yeah, us." Terra snorted, "And that is one hell of a pest."

The trio followed the spider teen into another ally. Black Widow was forced to stop when she was met with a dead end. She turned around as the heroes landed.

"End of the road, Black Widow." Terra told her, crossing her arms.

Black Widow began to cackle maliciously, confusing the trio. "The end?" she laughed, "Oh, no. I'm afraid that it's all just beginning."

"What do you-"

Gear was cut off when Black Widow shot a thick white web at them. Due to the narrowness of the ally and the fact that they were no longer airborne, the three were tied together, arms at their sides. They struggled, but their efforts were fruitless. A hissing noise was heard behind them and soon a purple mist entered the ally way. It only took a few seconds of inhaling the mist to knock out the three heroes. The last thing Kathrine saw before everything went black was a large, scaly green serpentine tail.

**.:Line Break:.**

Saturday morning Katrina woke up to find her sister's room empty. At first, she thought that Kathrine simply went to hang out with Richie and Virgil, as it was almost noon, and that she'd find a note in the kitchen.

Only there was no note and when she looked in the refrigerator, she found that Kathrine's dinner was still sitting in its plastic container, untouched. With panic beginning to set in, Katrina ran back upstairs to her sister's room. She threw open her closet door, hoping to find her costume to show her that Kathrine had only been too tired to eat dinner and had forgotten to leave her a note that morning. Her sister's costume was no where to be found.

Fearing the worst, she grabbed her cell phone from her room, as it was closer than the phone hanging on the wall downstairs in the kitchen, and called Virgil's house.

"Hello?" It was Mr. Hawkins who answered.

"Hello, Mr. Hawkins." she greeted, voice shaking, "By any chance, have you seen Kathrine?"

"No. I'm sorry, but I haven't." He sounded surprised.

Katrina felt tears prick her eyes as the icy cold grip of fear squeezed her heart. "Oh, okay. Will you call me if you see her? She- she didn't come home last night."

"Didn't come home last night?" he parroted, "Neither did Virgil or Richie. I was just about to call you to see if you had heard from them."

Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs as her fear grew. "WHAT?" she almost shouted, "You mean they're gone, too?"

"I'm afraid so."

Katrina gasped for air, finding it hard to breath all of a sudden.

_"_Calm down, Katrina."he said, sensing how upset she was, "I'm going to call around a little more before I call the police, you should do the same. Call me if you hear anything and I'll let you know if I find anything out."

"Y-yes, Mr. Hawkins."

"And don't worry. We'll find them."

_"I know we will." _Katrina thought grimly, _"It's the condition we find them in that worries me."_

Saying good-bye, she hung up. She then called Frieda and Daisy, hoping that they had seen her sister and her friends, even though she knew it was unlikely. The two said that they hadn't seen them, but promised to call her if they found anything out.

Katrina curled up in a ball on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest with her phone clutched tightly in her hand. A million possibilities of why they were missing ran through her mind, each situation worse than the last.

Virgil and Richie were the first real friends, outside of the girls that had been in the gang with her, Katrina had ever had. They were practically family. And Kathrine... Kathrine was the only real family Katrina had, the only family she could rely and count on. If she were to lose her...

That thought caused the dam to break. Tears flowed from her eyes and she sobbed into her knees. She felt alone. Katrina had never had very many friends, but Kathrine had always been there for her, both as a friend and as her sister. She had always been there and Katrina couldn't imagine her life without her sister by her side.

She was terrified and wasn't sure how to go about finding her. Uncurling her arm from around her legs, Katrina dialed another number on her phone.

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis jumped when he heard his cellphone ring. No one ever called him. Officer Gore had gotten him the phone so she could keep in touch with him if they ever got separated. Mostly he just used it for games, music, and internet access when he was bored.

Curious as to who was calling him, Francis muted the TV and picked up the phone.

"Who the hell is this?" It wasn't the most polite way to answer, but what else would anyone expect from Francis Stone?

"F-Francis?"

He recognized the choked up voice immediately and shot up in his bed, concerned. He had never seen or heard Katrina like this before and he wanted to know what could have possibly upset her so much. "Katrina, babe, what's wrong?"

"I need to t-talk to y-y-you. Can you come over, p-please?" She was trying to hold back her tears, but no matter how hard she tried, they just wouldn't stop.

Francis frowned, already walking out of his bedroom. Katrina didn't like it when he call her "babe" and usually corrected him, but she didn't, and that made him quicken his pace. "Sure. I'll be there soon, okay?"

"O-okay. Good-bye, Francis."

Francis stuffed his phone in his pocket after the crying girl hung up and practically ran to the front door. Just as his hand was on the door knob, Officer Gore stepped out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

He inwardly groaned, wanting nothing more than to go see Katrina as soon as possible. "Katrina called me, sounded like she was crying. Said she needed to talk to me now."

Angela nodded, concerned. "Okay. Just be careful and behave."

He said nothing and walked out the door. Angela leaned against the kitchen door frame with her arms crossed as she watched the bang baby leave, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

_"I hope everything will be alright."_

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis arrived at the Blake household to find the front door unlocked. Seeing no signs of forced entry, he concluded that Katrina had unlocked it for him. He quickly went inside and called Katrina's name. He worried when he received no response and proceeded to search the first floor. Finding no trace of her, Francis hurried to the second floor, hoping that the healer was upstairs. As he reached the top, the sound of crying met his ears and he felt slight relief when he realized it was Katrina. Following the noise to its source, he discovered that she was in her bedroom, curled up in a pitiful sobbing mess on her bed.

Francis felt pain stab his heart as he gazed at her. It didn't feel right to see the normally cheerful girl crying. He was by her side in an instant. Sitting on her bed, he cautiously rested his hand on her shoulder. She tensed up for awhile, her sobs quieting to sniffles. Timidly, she lifted her head to look at Francis, as though she was afraid that he wasn't really there.

Concerned green eyes bore into bloodshot blue ones. "Trina," he said softly, unsure of what he was supposed to do, "What's wrong?"

More tears welled up in her eyes before spilling over, happy beyond belief that he had come. In a matter of seconds, Katrina threw herself at Francis, startling him as she sobbed into his chest.

Unsure how to react, he went with his first instinct and wrapped his arms around the shaking girl. He rubbed her back in small, soothing circles in an attempt to calm her. They sat like that for awhile, Katrina's trembling slowly coming to a stop. Finally, her sobs died down to sniffles again and she pulled away from Francis, wiping her remaining tears away with the back of her hand.

"Katrina, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice a little louder than last time.

Katrina clenched the material of her pants in her hands, mentally debating whether she should tell him or not. Sure, she had called him because he was the only one who could help her and she had been scared, but to explain why her sister was missing she would have to reveal her secret. Kathrine didn't like Francis to begin with, if she told him that the elder was Alba Terra, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be furious with the healer and possibly never speak to her again. Katrina shook her head, she would rather have her sister hate her and be alive than for her to love her and be dead.

Katrina swallowed thickly, trying to hold off another wave of tears. "F-Francis, I need you to swear to me that what I'm about to say does not leave this room and that you won't try to use it to your advantage."

Francis raised a questioning brow, her statement causing his worry to grow even more. "Katrina, what-"

"Promise me!" she exclaimed, eyes clenched shut, a few more tears falling as her voice got desperate.

"Okay, okay!" he said, placing his hands on her shoulders, "I promise. Now, are you finally going to tell me what's going on?"

Katrina hiccuped and wiped her tears away again. "Do you remember when I told you I was at the big bang?"

Francis nodded, not understanding what she was trying to get at.

She lat out a shaky breath and began wringing her hands together, "Kathrine was with me that night and she was affected by the gas, too."

He wasn't surprised, he had actually expected as much. If their first day of school was any indication, the older Blake was extremely protective of Katrina. A girl like that, he knew there was no way in hell that she'd let her little sister go down to the docks by herself that night. Francis remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"You've probably seen her on the news using her powers. She goes by the name Alba Terra when in uniform."

Francis' eyes went wide. He had not expected that. "She took down the Rough Pack by herself."

Katrina nodded. "That's right. She's also been going on patrol with Static and Gear for the past few months. Last night she went to meet up with them again, but..." she trailed off, throat tightening up, "She never came home last night. I tried calling Virgil's house, but Mr. Hawkins said that he hadn't seen her and that Virgil and Richie were missing, too. They're looking around for them now and said they'd call me if anything turned up. I also tried calling Frieda and Daisy, but they hadn't seen them either."

"Are you sure she didn't stop by and just didn't say anything?"

"I'm positive." she told him, wringing her hair now, "I'm scared, Francis. I don't know what happened to her, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with Richie and Virgil disappearing, too. I think...I think it has something to do with Wade."

"What makes you think that?" Francis was hoping that it had nothing to do with Wade, but he knew that was highly unlikely.

"It's just this feeling I have. I can't explain it, but Charlotte... Charlotte always told us to go with our gut instinct. She said that nine times out of ten it's right."

"Alright, fair enough." he sighed, running a hand through his spiky hair, "I don't suppose your sister told you about anything weird lately, did she?"

Katrina thought for a moment, eyes dry. "A few months ago, Kathrine mentioned something about a new bang baby. Spider-like, called herself Black Widow. I don't know if it has anything to do with the disappearances, but it's certainly worth looking into."

"Well, it's a start." Francis said, getting to his feet.

Katrina watched him, "Where are you going?"

"I know people. I'll see if any of them know anything about Wade or this Black Widow."

She nodded and stood, grabbing her sneakers from her closet. "I'm coming with you."

He whipped his head around to look at her, "Trina-"

"_**Francis Markus Stone**_!" she snarled, narrowing her eyes at the pyro, "Don't you _**dare**_ tell me to stay here. It's very possible that my sister and my friends are out there somewhere in danger. I _**will not**_ sit here and do nothing when they could be seriously injured or worse."

He didn't press the issue any further, knowing it would get him nowhere, and stared at Katrina as she put on her shoes.

"Besides," she started, a coy smile on her lips, "You may need my help."

**.:Line Break:.**

Yay, it's done! Haha, Katrina knows Francis' middle name! Anyway, I want to apologize for being gone so long. Sandy, the lovely storm that it was, decided that she didn't like us and we lost power for a few days. Luckily, the most damage we suffered was that we had to throw away a few hundred dollars of food. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Review please!


	11. Enduring the Pain

I'm not dead yet! Sorry, school has been throwing a lot at me and it's difficult to keep up. I've also been studying for midterms. I'll try to get back to updating regularly. Thank you all for sticking with me.

**brittneyangel: **They might realize it along the way. And thank you.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **Yeah, I'm afraid things are about to get worse for them. I've never really confessed to guys before, years of bullying made me a little timid, but I can only imagine how it would feel to find out the one you like doesn't swing that way. I always like reading your reviews! Thanks for your support.

**The Red Dove: **I'm glad that you like the story. I'm working really hard to try to make sure my OCs are not Mary-sues. Anyway, here's your update!

**Guest: **Thank you so much for your review. You have no idea how much that means to me. When I saw your review it motivated me to type up this chapter! I hope that you'll review again.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

The first thing Kathrine noticed when she awoke was that it was dark, damp, and cool all around her. The second thing she noticed was that she was no longer wrapped in Black Widow's sticky web.

Groggily, Kathrine opened her eyes with a groan, feeling weak and tired. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds, eyes adjusting to the darkness. Looking around, she realized that she was in a cell of some sort. She gazed out the cell door, but was unable to see anything other than a dark hallway.

The events that happened in the ally came back to her in a rush and she sighed, realizing they had been captured.

_"Katrina's probably freaking out right now."_ she thought, attempting to get to her feet. Pain shot through her as she put pressure on her right foot. She cried out and fell to the ground, grabbing her leg. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that her ankle was broken.

Suddenly, she heard groaning from the back of the cell. She turned to see what it was, only to gasp at what she saw.

There, in the back of the cell, slumped against the wall, were Virgil and Richie. The strange thing was that they were dressed like Static and Gear, minus the masks.

"Virgil? Richie?" she whispered, astonished, "You guys are Static and Gear?"

They jumped, shocked, as they realized their identities had been compromised. Then they froze, adopting astonished expressions of their own.

"Kat, you're Terra?" Richie asked.

Panicking, Kathrine's hands flew to her face and, sure enough, her own mask was missing as well. "Damn it!" she growled, "They took our masks!"

The sound of approaching footsteps halted any further conversation. The three sat in silence, watching the cell door apprehensively to see who was coming.

Out of the shadows stepped an all too familiar person.

"Oh, good. You're all awake then."

Kathrine snarled at their captor, glaring, "Wade..."

Wade smirked smugly at his prisoners. "It was hard to figure out how to catch you, but luckily I have a good crew on my side."

"What crew?" Richie demanded.

Black Widow came into view, arms crossed, a smirk on her fanged face. Another girl followed her, also a bang baby.

Her skin was green and scaly. Her fingers were tipped with sharp nails and instead of legs, she had a long serpentine tail. Her eyes were completely purple and her pupils were slitted. Her long, straight, raven black hair fell to her waist. She wore a black tube top, a gold choker, and golden bands that sat on her upper arms.

"You've already been introduced to Black Widow." he said, putting his arms around the shoulders of the two girls, "This is Viper. She used a her vapor venom last night to knock you out."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." she said sarcastically, a pink forked tongue slipping between her lips as she spoke.

"Originally, we were just after you, Virgil. Imagine my reaction when my girls here brought back not just you, but your friends, too." he laughed, "All we're missing is Rubberband Man."

"What do you want, Wade?" Virgil asked, masking his fear. He could tell that something was not quite right with Wade.

"I always knew it was you, you know, even without taking your mask. I watched you for a long time before the bang, and I know how you are and I knew you were there at the docks that night. Hotstreak may have been too stupid to figure it out, but I wasn't."

"What do you want, Wade?" Virgil demanded again.

"I want you to join my crew, Virgil. Just like before the bang. With you on our side, nothing can stop us."

"No! I was never part of your crew and I never will be!"

Wade ignored him for a moment, regarding Kathrine and Richie. "You're more than welcome to join, too."

"Hell, no! I will never join a gang!" Kathrine yelled, anger rising.

"That's funny," he remarked with fake confusion, "Especially considering the fact that you've already been in one."

Kathrine froze, eyes wide, heart nearly stopping. Wade smirked, an action that only served to make the blood in her veins freeze.

"That's right. I know all about the Jade Dragons. The information took a while to find, but it was worth it."

"Kat..." Richie nearly whispered, "What's he talking about?"

Kathrine felt as though she had been punched in the chest and all the air had been knocked out of her. She couldn't believe this was happening, they had been so careful.

"Oh, so you didn't tell them? What's the matter? Afraid they'll hate you?"

Kathrine hung her head, hair hiding her face. "Shut up." Her voice was eerily calm.

"I was surprised when I found out, but it made sense. It explains why you and that bitch sister of yours aren't afraid of getting in a fight. What I want to know is if you left that life, why were you two at the docks the night of the bang?"

"Wait, Katrina was at the bang, too?" came Virgil's stunned voice.

"That's right. Some of the people in my crew saw you and your sister outside the fence just before the tanks were hit. So, what, you both smelled blood and came running? Wanted more of the old thrill of beating someone senseless?"

"I said, shut **UP**!" Kathrine screamed, head snapping up. She growled and glared, then froze, eyes going wide. She looked at her hands and concentrated. Nothing happened. Ice cold panic swept through her. "My powers... I can't use them!"

"What?!" Virgil attempted to power up, but nothing happened, "I can't use mine either!"

They turned to Gear, who shook his head, "Hey, don't look at me. Even if I could use them, they took Backpack and my belt."

Virgil tried to stand up, but he suddenly yelled in pain and fell back down. His left leg was broken, the bone sticking at an odd angle. He growled, both in pain and anger. "What did you do?"

Wade laughed, "When used on bang babies, one side effect of Viper's vapor venom is temporary loss of powers. As for the broken bones, the girls might have been a little rough getting you here. Which reminds me, I wouldn't move my right arm if I were you, Foley."

Richie winced as he looked at his arm.

"Why are you doing this, Wade?" Virgil glared at him, not knowing whether to feel frightened or angry.

"Because I can. We'll be back later to give you another dose of vapor venom and then we'll... "talk"." Wade and the girls laughed as they walked away, vanishing in the darkness.

Silence fell over the cell, all three of the young heroes terrified and weak. Virgil and Richie didn't know how to react to what Wade had said about Kathrine and Katrina, but the older of the Blake sisters didn't appear to be in the mood to talk about it. All they could do was stay there like sitting ducks, waiting for Wade's return and what was sure to be a less than civil "talk".

**.:Line Break:.**

The sun was beginning to set as Francis and Katrina roamed the city. They had looked all day, but hadn't run into a single stray bang baby.

"I can't believe it! The city is never this quiet!" Francis grumbled, annoyance growing, "Go figure, when ever you need those idiots you can't find them!"

Katrina sighed, face sullen as she wrapped her arms around herself. With no sign of her sister or her friends, she was starting to feel more and more depressed. Francis glanced at her, frowning.

"Hey, don't look like that. We'll find them."

She nodded numbly, blue eyes dull. Muttering under his breath, Francis grabbed Katrina around her shoulders and pulled her to him in an awkward one armed hug.

"I mean it." he said, firmly, "We'll find them."

Life was startled back into her eyes, making her more aware. Warmth lit up her blue irises as she smiled up at him, nodding.

"Thank you. I needed that."

He grunted in response and removed his arm. Then he stopped, holding his arm out for her to do the same. She gazed up at him questioningly as he turned his head in the direction of the ally way closest to them.

"Listen," he whispered, "Do you hear that?"

Katrina closed her eyes and focused, listening for whatever Francis had heard. It was the sound of screaming. It was faint because it was so far away, but she could hear it.

"It's a woman screaming." she said, opening her eyes.

The pyro walked cautiously into the ally, Katrina following close behind.

"It's a bang baby!" someone yelled.

Francis shot the healer a grin. They had finally found one.

A strange noise, like the sound of something rolling, drew closer and closer to the ally. Francis pressed his body up against the wall, motioning for Katrina to do the same. They crouched down behind the dumpster. The noise grew louder and louder until a large, strange ball rolled into a view. Katrina watched in fascination as the ball uncurled, revealing a armadillo like guy with a armful of junk food.

"Finally, no more digging out of trashcans for leftovers!" he laughed, "And no Static in sight!"

"Distract him while I sneak up behind him." Francis whispered in her ear, "Carmendillo will probably run when he sees me and as much as I'd like to roast him, we need information."

She nodded, smiling mischievously. Getting up from her hiding spot, she walked out in front of the bang baby.

"That's an awful lot of food." she commented, effectively grabbing Carmendillo's attention, "Where ever did you get the money to pay for it all?"

Seeing his chance, Francis slowly circled around the back of the dumpster, careful not to alert the other bang baby to his presence.

Carmendillo narrowed her eyes, slightly confused as to why she wasn't screaming and running away. "I got a special discount, everything I can grab for free."

"Stealing is illegal." she informed him, frowning, "You should return that stuff."

He laughed, leering at Katrina, "Am I supposed to be afraid of you?"

Blue eyes looked over his shoulder and smiled wide. "Not me." she said, pointing behind him, "Him."  
>He turned pale as he came face to face with Francis.<p>

"H-H-Hotstreak!" he stammered, voice shaking with fear as he stepped back, "I thought that you were locked up!"

He grinned in a way that made the other boy's skin crawl as Francis' hands filled with fire. "I got parole for good behavior."

"So what, you're on their side now?"

His grin died on his lips, transforming into a scowl. "Don't be stupid!" he snapped, "I'm here for something else."

Carmendillo eyed the flames that licked at Hotstreak's skin warily. "What do you want?"

"Information." Katrina supplied, all amusement gone from her face.

He scoffed at her, "And why should I tell you anything?"

"Because you'll be a crispy critter if you don't."

As if to emphasize her point, Francis shoved a flaming fist in his face.

"You do, of course, realize that because of your food stealing stunt that if you up, he won't get into any trouble and you'll be taken away to bang baby confinement." she smiled sweetly and Carmendillo paled further.

"Okay, okay!" he cried, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"

"I knew you'd see it our way." Katrina nodded to Francis, who fisted his hands, extinguishing the flames.

"Have you heard of a guy named Wade Glover?" the pyro asked.

"Glover? Isn't he the one who used to beat the snot out of you before the big bang?"

Snarling, Francis lifted him off the ground with one hand, the other holding a fire ball. "Say that again..."

The food thief clawed at his arm, struggling to get free. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hotstreak."

Unused to hearing her address him by his bang baby handle, he didn't acknowledge Katrina right away.

"Easy, Hotstreak." she said soothingly, "We won't learn anything if he's unconscious."

_"Or dead." _she added mentally.

He regarded her a moment before setting Carmendillo back on his feet, but kept his hand lit. "So, do you know anything?"

"Look, last I heard, the guy was in some nuthouse rehab center."

"Is that all?" Katrina pressed.

"I swear, that's all I know!"

"What about a bang baby that goes by the name of Black Widow? About our age, girl, spider-like. Better think fast, 'cause my patience is running out." Hotstreak warned.

"Black Widow?" Carmendillo thought for a moment, "It sounds familiar, but I can't remember why."

Katrina sighed, shaking her head. "Hotstreak, would you mind jogging our friend's memory?"

"With pleasure." he grinned, tossing a fireball in the air a few times.

"No, no! Wait!" he cried.

"Better talk fast." Katrina threatened, "I can't guarantee how much longer Hotstreak will wait."

"Onyx and Puff!" he called out, "They keep track of any new bang babies in the city! They might know!"

"Where are they?"

"Abandoned warehouse down by the docks!"

Francis extinguished the fire and Katrina grinned. "Thank you, my informative friend. Let's go, Hotstreak."

"Hey, Hotstreak." Carmendillo called out as they began to retreat, "Is she your girlfriend?"

He growled and before Katrina could even blink, Francis knocked Carmendillo with a swift fist to the head. She then watched, an amused smirk on her face, as the pyro grabbed one of the trashcans in the ally, removed the lid, and shoved the oversized armadillo inside. Punching a hole in the metal lid, he put it back on the trashcan with Carmendillo's head sticking out. He then welded it shut.

"Done?" she choked out, trying not to laugh as he approached her.

"He was getting on my nerves."

"I was under the impression that everything got on your nerves."

He stared at her a moment, and quickly looked away. "Not everything." he muttered.

She didn't even have to ask what he meant. The seriousness of his voice whipped away all humor from her face. The confession was, undoubtedly, hard to make and the fact that he said it at all both shocked and pleased her. Involuntarily, Katrina blushed. Francis shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You should call the police to pick him up."

"Oh, right." Katrina quickly made the call and soon the two were on there way to the docks.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Francis eventually asked.

"Back when I was in the gang, when we needed information, I was sent out to... "persuade" others into telling us what we wanted to know. Sometimes I was on my own, sometimes I was with Kathrine." she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, "You did the job Kathrine would have done."

"Let's just hope that your persuasion skills work on Onyx and Puff."

**.:Line Break:.**

Yay! It's finally done! Sorry it took so long to type this up, my computer crashed and I had to retype a lot of it. Also, if Wade seems to be slowly becoming OOC, there's a reason for that. It will be explained later. Review please!


	12. The Jade Dragons

Hey, so this chapter will deal with some sensitive topics. I hope I don't inadvertently offend anyone. Also, it will switch between Katrina and Kathrine as they tell the story.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **Thank you for your review. I tried to make Francis as believable as possible. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.

**brittneyangel: **I'm glad you liked that. I tried to put in a little bit of humor.

**highlander348: **Glad that you liked it! I'm not too sure how Francis would feel about joining up with Static and Gear.

**Guest: **I _had _actually thought about doing a crossover sort of thing, but it wouldn't be in the main story. I might make it and put it in _A Strange Relationship_ only because I'd need to do research to keep them in character.

**the icon 22: **Thank you for the review! And I wouldn't call them antiheroes exactly, but they will be helping Static. Although any involvement Francis has will probably be directly through Katrina.

**embermoonlight: **Thank you.

**Guest:** You have no idea how happy your review made me. Thank you.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Static Shock_.

**Warning: **Foul language and violence.

**.:Line Break:.**

Wade, Viper, and Black Widow came back like they said they would and sprayed the three heroes with the power draining mist again, knocking them out. When they awoke, they were all covered in cuts and bruises. They had been beaten while they were unconscious.

For the longest time, no one spoke, unsure of what to say. Kathrine sat on one end of the cell, staring blankly through the bars. Virgil and Richie were at the other end, leaning against the wall.

"So..." Richie began, desperate to break the silence, "How about this weather we're having?"

Kathrine snorted and shot the blond a look of disbelief, lips curled into a dry smile. "Really, dude?"

Richie wore a sheepish expression and shrugged.

"Well, now that the awkward silence is gone, would you mind telling us what all of that was about?" Virgil asked.

Kathrine sighed, resting her head on the wall behind her. She didn't need to ask what he meant, she knew very well. She had been expecting the question, but she dreaded answering it. She didn't want to lose her only friends.

"Before we came here, Trina and I, we were in a gang, just like Wade said." she sighed again, running her hand through her now filthy brown hair, "Called ourselves the Jade Dragons. Everyone knew who we were and they all feared us. It was... different than other gangs and we knew that right away."

"Different how?" Richie asked.

"For one thing, there was no fucked up entrance test. No getting beaten in or sexed in. The second in command, Charlotte, assured us that she wouldn't put us in any situation she wouldn't put herself in. Our group was made up of the school's social outcast, those with few friends who were labeled as different by the majority. Charlotte put down strict rules for us, no guns, no killing. You couldn't just join the Jade Dragons either, Charlotte had to come to you and... _"_extend an invitation_"_."

"So, this Charlotte invited you and your sister?"

Kathrine shook her head at Virgil. "No. Believe it or not, it was Katrina who was given the invitation."

**.:Line Break:.**

"Wait, this gang asked you, not your crazy, violent sister, to join them?" Francis asked as they made their way to the abandoned warehouse. He had wanted to know more about why Katrina was the way she was.

The younger Blake nodded, "That's right. At school, Kathrine was able to get along with other people fairly well and no one messed with her. I was another story. I was pretty much the way I am now, just quieter and I kept to myself more. Because of this, I was seen as a target for bullying." she paused to glance at him, "That's why I got so angry at you that first day, because I had been through it myself."

He looked away guiltily.

"Anyway, one day I had been found by a particularly nasty group of girls. A violent group."

"What happened?"

Katrina sighed and thought back to the incident, the scene replaying itself in her mind. "These three girls cornered me in the hallway after school. They threw me up against the lockers and I remember dropping my books because I was so shocked and stunned by the pain. They just... loomed over me and I was so scared because I didn't know what they wanted or what they were going to do to me. I felt like I couldn't move and at the time I had no idea how to defend myself. I kept hoping for Kathrine to show up, but... she never did.

"Just as one of the girls threw a punch, someone caught her wrist. I remember looking up and feeling surprised to see the scariest girl in school glaring and growling at the girls like a feral animal."

Katrina grasped the locket around her neck and opened it, revealing a photo of what Francis assumed was the Jade Dragons. She pointed out two redheads.

One girl was taller than the others by a few inches. Her skin was pale white and her lips were curled into the kind of smile that promised pain and suffering. Her hair was long, straight and bright orange, tied back in a pony tail, dark green eyes full of malice.

"That's Victoria, or Vicky as we called her. She was plain evil. She pretended to be friends with Charlotte, but it was all an act. She controlled her by sticking a knife in her back, slowly twisting it to make her do what Vicky wanted. We all knew it, but we were powerless to stop it."

Katrina smiled a bittersweet smile as she pointed out the other redhead. This one was average height with fair skin. She grinned a gap toothed grin that lit up her electric green eyes. Her hair was fiery orange and curly, cut to the back of her neck.

"This is Charlotte. She saved me from the girls that day. The girl whose wrist she grabbed, Charlotte threw her into the lockers across the hall and yelled at them to scram. She was insanely strong and everyone knew it, so the girls scrambled to get away.

"Then, the menacing look on her face was gone. I was too surprised to do anything, even thank her. Charlotte picked up my books and handed them to me with the friendliest smile on her face. She had asked me if I was alright, comforted me, then left. After that I saw her everyday for a week and she always made it a point to talk to me. One night, she dropped by our house and asked me if I would join her for a nightly drive on her motorcycle."

"She had a motorcycle?" Francis questioned, brow raised.

"Yeah," Katrina closed the locket and tucked it back under her shirt, "I went with her and we talked a while. I trusted Charlotte, still do. I connected with her because she understood my loneliness, my growing hatred for other people because they just wouldn't accept me. At the end of the night, she dropped me off in front of my house and asked me to join her gang. I accepted."

"Then what?"

The healer sighed, "Kathrine found out."

"How did she take it?"

**.:Line Break:.**

"_I_. _Was_. _Pissed_!" Kathrine told her friends, "Part of me couldn't understand why Katrina would do something so stupid, the other part of me was furious that she'd make such a big decision without talking to me first."

"You must have been shocked." Richie said, "What did you do?"

"Well, I didn't handle it the way I would have liked to." she confessed, somewhat embarrassed, "I yelled and screamed and cursed and just threw a hissy-fit. Katrina wouldn't change her mind, though. So the next day I went with my sister to see Charlotte and I told her that if Katrina was joining, I wanted to join to, just to keep an eye on her.

"Charlotte had a little brother of her own and knew how I felt, so she made an exception for me. After that, our days were filled with fighting rival gangs and occasionally partaking in drugs and alcohol."

"What happened to make you guys split up?" Virgil asked.

**.:Line Break:.**

"Charlotte had been trying to recruit another girl. I think her name was Sam. Anyway, when she did, this girl's friend, Danny, started talking to Charlotte. It took awhile, but he started putting things into perspective for her."

Francis came to a halt, causing Katrina to do the same, confusion on his face. "Perspective?"

Katrina frowned and thought for a moment, staring up at the stars in the night time sky. "Charlotte's _"friendship" _with Victoria was not only verbally and emotionally abusive, it was physically abusive as well. In the beginning, Charlotte only got beaten when one of us messed up, because she wouldn't let any of us get hurt. She took the punishments in our place. When Danny started making her realize just how twisted Victoria was, Charlotte stopped doing what she said more and more. There was a fire in her eyes that wasn't there before and she turned defiant. Naturally, Victoria didn't like the idea of losing her favorite plaything. That's when things got violent."

**.:Line Break:.**

"It was little shit in the beginning, you know? Victoria would slap Charlotte, there would be a short screaming match, and then it would be over and done with." Kathrine mused with a hint of melancholy, "Then it escalated. Victoria threw punches and would start kicking her, turning her into a bruised and bloody mess. But Charlotte wouldn't fight back, she only glared at her with that fire in her eyes that grew and burned more brightly as time went on. Then, one day, they had a really bad argument, one worse than all of the others."

Virgil swallowed thickly, having a feeling that the story was about to take a turn for the worst. "What happened?"

**.:Line Break:.**

Katrina shook slightly when Francis asked the question. Closing her eyes, she let out a shaky breath.

"Charlotte told Victoria that she was _wrong_. That what we were doing was _wrong_." she said, slowly, quietly, "It shocked us all. Charlotte _never_ denied Victoria. She had finally broken free of Victoria's chains."

"So, I take it that this Danny kid got through to her?"

Katrina nodded as she began wringing her hands. "Victoria... When she heard what Charlotte said, she went dead calm. Then, she grabbed Charlotte by the hair and dragged her into the back room of our hideout. She locked the doors so none of us could help. The room was sound-proof so we couldn't even hear what was happening. Waiting for the door to finally open was... terrible.

"When it was finally over, when we finally saw what Victoria did to Charlotte..." tears misted her eyes, throat constricting at the memory, "It was terrible... But, later, when Victoria left, that fire burned brighter than ever . Charlotte then made the announcement that the Jade Dragons were going to disband and move away, whether Victoria liked it or not.

"We all agreed, of course, and Charlotte told us that we were going to turn Victoria into the police before we left. Sort of a "finishing what we started" kind of thing. After what she had done to Charlotte, none of us had any objections."

**.:Line Break:.**

"Of course, what we didn't know was that for a few weeks prior to that event, Charlotte was doing negotiations with the police. The cops where we used to live were corrupt and liked to save face. She knew this and used it to her advantage. She told the cops that if we apprehended Victoria, they would wipe everyone's record clean, except for hers and Victoria's, then the Dragons would scatter and never cause trouble again."

"Why didn't she want her own record cleared?" the blond asked.

"Charlotte wanted to punish herself, I think." Kathrine said, shrugging, "In a way, I think she believed everything was her fault and that she deserved to be punished for it. She even apologized to us before we left.

"Anyway, a few days after the incident, we all went to school to tell Danny about our plan, but...Victoria... she found out about everything. We don't know how, but she did, and she wasn't happy."

Kathrine paused, burying her face in her hands, "What happened next... it still doesn't feel real, but it is. It was so real."

**.:Line Break:.**

"Babe, what happened?" Francis asked, wrapping an arm around the shoulders of the now shaking girl.

"All of a sudden, there was this loud _"BANG"_. The sound... it was deafening. Then, the next thing we knew, Danny was on the ground, a bullet hole in his chest. There... there was so much blood... He didn't move at all. We didn't even know if he lived or died, we never went back to school after that day.

"And then Victoria started laughing, like it was funny. We all looked up to see her holding a gun, the barrel still smoking. She took off running. We followed her as Sam called an ambulance for Danny."

**.:Line Break:.**

"We chased her back to our hideout, where we fought. It was a long and hard battle, but we won in the end. After that we turned her in and left."

Kathrine grabbed her locket and opened it, staring at the picture inside. "Charlotte saw us all off and gave each of us a locket with a photo of the Jade Dragons in it. _"To remember the good times and bad,"_ she said." she shut the locket with a sigh, "Then we came here and the rest is history."

"Kathrine..." Richie paused, not knowing how to continue for a few minutes. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why?" she repeated, head snapping in their direction, "Because you two are such clean cut good boys that we were afraid of how you'd react! Not to mention-" She stopped suddenly, eyes softening as she turned away.

"Not to mention, what?" Virgil pressed.

"Not to mention the fact that you two are the first real friends we've had outside the gang." Kathrine said softly, "We... we didn't want to lose you."

Neither of the boys could recall a time when the earth moving bang baby had looked as fragile and vulnerable as she did at that moment. Virgil and Richie shared a look and nodded, as if they had come to an agreement of some kind. Carefully, so as not to aggravate their injuries, the boys made their way over to Kathrine, surprising her by taking a seat on either side of her.

Virgil put an arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner, "Kat, you made a mistake and you fixed it. Why would we be mad at you for that?"

She shrugged, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, you're stuck with us whether you like it or not." Richie chimed in, grinning.

Kathrine smiled as she turned to the blond. "I guess I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" she laughed lightly, "Thanks, guys."

**.:Line Break:.**

"I'm... sorry... about what happened." Francis offered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Katrina gave him a sad smile, "It's fine. Live and learn and all that."

"So, why were you at the docks that night, anyway?"

"It was a moment of stupidity on our part." she admitted, slightly embarrassed, "We had heard about the gang fight and we were going to go see if there was anything we could do to stop it. We arrived just as the blast went off. You know the rest."

"Do your parents know about any of this?"

He watched curiously as Katrina went stiff.

"...I... never knew my mother and our father is rarely home." her smile became strained as she looked at him, "Probably for the best, given the circumstances."

Francis raised a crimson brow at the reaction, but didn't press her for details.

Thus far, their relationship had been based on a special kind of give and receive system. If you wanted to learn about the other, you had to offer up some of yourself first. It was a sort of unspoken agreement between them.

Katrina had already offered up two secrets where Francis had yet to offer anything in return. He didn't feel like dredging up the past at that particular moment as the healer was already very emotional and at least one of them needed to keep a clear head if they wanted to continue interrogating bang babies for information. She may have appeared to be okay, but he could see in her eyes that Katrina was fighting to keep everything together, which meant that Francis had to be the one with the clear head for a change. He also didn't want to reveal anything else to her because what she didn't know about him yet was all very sensitive and he himself didn't know how to deal with it.

He glanced at Katrina, who was struggling to regain her composure, then looked ahead of them. "It's kind of late." he stated, "Do you want to head home and we"ll start fresh tomorrow?"

Katrina shook her head and sniffled, pushing her old memories to the back of her mind. She had more important things to worry about.

"All right. We're getting close to their hideout so keep your eyes open and be careful. Puff and Onyx might not be the strongest or smartest bang babies, but they're a lot more dangerous than Carmendillo."

Katrina nodded again, determined, and followed Francis. _"Please hold on, Kathrine. We're coming!"_

**.:Line Break:.**

So, that's it for this chapter. Lots of background, I know. The next chapter will have more action. As for why I've been gone for so long, I'll spare you all the drama and details. I thank you all for your patience and support and I hope that you will continue to review.


	13. Startling Discoveries

My friend is going through cancer right now, so I've been a little distracted. I'm sorry.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **Not quite, but I have been toying with the idea of writing a sequel with that in mind. Always glad to hear from you!

**Disclaimer: **I do not nor will I ever own _Static Shock_.

**Warning:** Foul language and violence.

**.:Line Break:.**

The moon rose higher in the sky, bathing the docks in its pale light as Katrina and Francis approached the warehouse.

"Is there anything I need to know about these two?" the healer asked. The two began crouching as they drew closer to avoid being seen.

"Puff can turn her body into gas and fly. She can make knock out gas and this other weird gas that melts stuff."

She groaned inwardly, realizing that this would not be as easy as it was last time. "Lovely. And Onyx?"

"He's a big, purple guy. I guess his power is super strength." he whispered, "I'd be more worried about Puff, though. She's smarter and faster than Onyx. And she has a bad temper."

Katrina sighed. Francis gestured for silence as he quietly opened the warehouse doors. The two snuck in and hid behind a stack of crates.

Further into the warehouse Puff paced in front of a small fire. Onyx, who sat next to the fire, stared up at the girl with worry on his face.

_"She looks mad." _Katrina thought.

"What are we going to do, Puff?"

"I don't know, Onyx." she snapped, irate, "Everyday I hear more about this Wade guy trying to recruit bang babies."

Francis and Katrina exchanged looks.

_"Bingo!"_

They crept closer to the criminals, careful to remain unseen.

"Word has it that no one has seen this guy's powers and yet he's still getting followers." Puff stopped pacing and folded her arms over her chest, "I hear Ebon isn't taking it too well, either. If this guy keeps going on the way he is now, I think Ebon will start trying to pick a fight with him. Those two may just start a bang baby war!"

Katrina bit her lip and glanced at Francis. Both hoped Puff was exaggerating, but they knew she wasn't.

"This is one fight I plan on staying out of." she continued, "Those two are crazy!"

Francis decided that this was a good time to make an appearance. He stood up, smirked, and strode over to the two, leaving Katrina in her hiding place.

"Well, what do you know? We agree on something."

Onyx shot to his feet and was by Puff's side in an instant. The purple haired girl narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want, Hotstreak?"

"Hey, don't be like that. I'm not here to fight."

She scoffed in disbelief, hands on her hips, "Well, that's a first. What _are _you here for?"

"Information."

Puff raised a brow. Everyone knew that Hotstreak never went to anyone for help, even if it was just for information. He was always more of the lone wolf type who preferred to do everything himself.

"...What do you want to know?"

"I heard you mention a guy named Wade. I want you to tell me everything you know about him and, while you're at it, I want you to tell me whatever you know about a bang baby who calls herself Black Widow."

She threw her head back and laughed, causing Francis to frown. "What, didn't get enough of a beating from him before the Bang?"

He growled, hands curling into fists. It seemed that no one they met was in a cooperative mood.

"Even if I _did _know anything, what makes you think I'd tell you?" Puff asked as her laughter died down, "Black Widow is under Wade's protection and if you honestly think that I'd be stupid enough to cross a guy who wants to gather an army of meta-humans, then you're even crazier than Wade and Ebon put together!"

Katrina's worry began to grow. If what Puff said was true and her sister had run into Black Widow the night of her disappearance, Kathrine was in deep trouble. The idea of a bang baby war didn't sit too well with her either.

"Nothing I say or do will make you change your mind?" he asked.

Puff was one girl he didn't feel like fighting, especially when Katrina was in danger of being caught in the crossfire. Somehow, he didn't think that her healing powers would help much if her head was melted off.

"That's right. I don't have a death wish."

"Really?" he drawled, smoke rolling off his body in waves as he gathered fireballs in his hands, "You could've fooled me!"

A fireball flew into Onyx, bursting on impact. Momentarily stunned, he stumbled around. Puffs lower body dissolved into a purple gas and she let out an enraged shriek.

As she started aiming acidic gas at Francis, Katrina frantically surveyed the area for a weapon of some kind. Blue irises landed on a long, straight metal pipe lying a few inches away from her, temptingly gleaming under the dim warehouse lights. Katrina couldn't help but grin.

Francis dodged another of Puffs attacks, only to see Onyx charging right at him. He sighed, "Today is just not my day."

Just as Onyx was about to swing his fist, a loud _"clang"_ resounded through the building and a look of pain flashed across his face. Suddenly, he was falling and Francis had to jump out of the way to avoid being crushed by the giant.

"What the-"

Before he could even finish his thought, Katrina rushed forward, pipe in hand, the most feral expression in her usually peaceful blue eyes. The pipe came down on Onyx's head with such great force that Francis was certain that his skull would break. But it didn't. The blow, although powerful, was only strong enough to knock the bang baby out, as his skull had been too dense for the metal to damage.

Katrina stood over the fallen giant, lungs gulping down air, feeling the familiar sensation of adrenaline coursing through her every vein. Francis stared at her in awe. If he had had any doubts about her being in a gang before, they were definitely gone now.

She met his gaze with a timid smile, gripping the pole so tightly her knuckles were white.

"...Holy shit, Trina." he breathed, finally finding his voice.

She was able to give no words as Puff screamed in anger, "I don't know who you are, but you're going to pay for that!"

The two ducked as she swooped down, blowing more acidic gas in their direction.

"Are things always this much fun with you?" Katrina joked, mirth and mischief dancing in her eyes.

He grunted in irritation as Puff barely missed hitting their heads.

"No, usually the only bugs I have to swat at are Static and Gear. Now I know how they feel."

He stopped briefly to hurl a fireball at Puff as she passed by them. He missed.

"If this is how annoying things are for them, it's hard to believe they haven't just killed us."

Again, he aimed at Puff and again he missed. Francis growled, smoke now leaking from milky white eyes.

Katrina patted his shoulder with a smirk, calming him a little. "Patience, Hotstreak, is a virtue."

Puff swooped in close once more and, before she could even blink, Katrina rolled out of her way while swinging her weapon into the back of the purple haired girl's head. As the cold metal connected with her cranium, Puff was sent fling into a stack of metal crates. Her body became solid and she groaned in pain, vision blurry. The last thing she remembered before passing out was Katrina turning to Hotstreak and saying, "See? I told you that you might need my help."

The two watched as Puff went limp. Francis crossed his arms over his chest petulantly, refusing to meet Katrina's gaze.

"I could've taken them."

Katrina smiled knowingly, a brow raised in amusement, "Of this, I'm sure."

She walked over to pile of junk in one of the corners of the warehouse and began digging through it, as though she was looking for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for rope." she replied, "We need to restrain them so they don't try to run or attack us when they wake up."

"Katrina, do you _**really**_ think _**rope**_ is going to hold them?"

The healer stopped, eyes traveling to the criminals as she realized her mistake. Sighing, she ran a hand through her now tangled brown tresses. "What do you propose we do? We can't just leave them like this."

He glanced around the warehouse, pleased with all the metal he saw. "I have an idea."

**.:Line Break:.**

When the two criminals woke up, Onyx was wrapped up in steel beams and Puff was sealed in an iron crate. Both struggled to break free, but the effort was fruitless.

"Hey, let me out!" Puff shrieked, pounding on the walls that held her.

"Not until you tell us what you know about Wade." Francis kicked the crate for good measure.

"Sorry, but I'm going to be hunted down like a dog because you two are sticking your noses where they don't belong."

"Hotstreak," Katrina interjected, annoyance coloring her voice, "Perhaps we should turn up the heat."

She winked at him, silently telling him to keep the temperature low enough so it wouldn't hurt her. Francis grinned, cracking his knuckles.

"Okay, fine!" Puff surrendered before he could even touch the box, much to his disappointment. "Wade has been recruiting bang babies lately, even came to Onyx and me once. We turned him down, though."

"Recruiting bang babies for what?" Katrina pressed.

Puff heaved a sigh, shifting in the cramped crate, "Rumor has it he wants an army to take over the city. Then he's going to capture all of the other bang babies, good and bad, and make them fight for him so he can take over everything completely."

Francis and Katrina shared a disturbed look.

"You failed to mention that this guy is a total headcase."

He merely shrugged, "Eh, must be a new thing."

The healer turned back to their reluctant informants, "Do you know where he is?"

"Not exactly." she answered, "But I hear he's somewhere in the old abandoned subway tunnels. Ebon's down there, he probably knows."

Francis stiffened, "Damn it."

"What's wrong?"

Onyx chuckled from his position on the floor, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Patience wearing dangerously thin, the healer narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, I'm not above kicking you in the face just because you're tied up on the floor."

Onyx, not the least bit concerned by her threat, only laughed again. "You're feisty. Hotstreak must really like you."

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't make me char you!"

"Ebon," he started, ignoring Francis, "Is the leader of the Meta-Breed, a gang of criminal bang babies. He used to be the worst bang baby in the city-"

"That title belongs to me!"

"- until this Wade guy showed up out of nowhere and started causing trouble. I hear that he really gets under Ebon's skin."

"Do you know where he is exactly in the tunnels?"

Onyx opened his mouth to speak, but Francis cut him off.

"I know where he is."

When Katrina glanced at him, she was startled to see something dark burning in his green orbs. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he swiftly turned on his heel and started walking out of the warehouse. Katrina watched for just a few seconds, deeply concerned, before chasing after him.

"Hey!" Puff shouted, hearing their retreating footsteps, "What about us?"

In response, Francis kicked a crowbar in their direction. He then exited the building with the healer in tow, blocking out the furious shouts of Onyx and Puff.

He finally stopped a good distance away from the warehouse, studying the nighttime sky.

"Francis?"

"I think you should go home." he said suddenly, causing his companion to gawk at him, "It's late and the Meta-Breed is dangerous. I'll go talk to them and take care of things from here. You should get some sleep and-"

A _"smack"_ echoed through the empty streets. Francis, stunned, held his now red cheek. Katrina still had her hand raised in the air. Stubborn, blazing blue eyes glaring up at him through her bangs.

"You," she began, her voice low and angry, "are an idiot. I already told you that I _**will not **_sit idly by while my friends and sister are out there. Do you _**really**_ think that, knowing this, I can just go home and _**sleep**_ like _**nothing's wrong**_? I can take care of myself, Francis, contrary to popular belief! There is no way in _**hell**_ you are doing _**any **_of this without me!"

The pyro regarded her for a moment as her words sunk in. Then, the corners of his lips turned upwards and Francis ruffled the girl's hair, much to her displeasure.

"You really are a stubborn bitch, aren't you?" He meant it affectionately.

Katrina pouted at him, trying, and failing, to look menacing.

"Alright, then. Follow me."

**.:Line Break:.**

It was close to two in the morning when Francis and Katrina entered the abandoned subway. They had been walking less than ten minutes when the healer's cellphone started ringing. He watched as she dug it out of her pocket, checking the caller I.D.

"It's Mr. Hawkins." she whispered before answering the device.

"Hello, Katrina? I apologize for calling you so late. Did I wake you up?"

"It's alright Mr. Hawkins and no, you didn't wake me. I couldn't sleep. Is something wrong?"

"It's Virgil." he told her, distraught, "He still hasn't come home yet and Richie's parents just called me saying that he hasn't turned up either. Have you come across any news about your sister yet?"

This new information was doing nothing for Katrina's already frayed nerves. "No, sir."

"I'm worried." he admitted, "There are a lot of bang babies out tonight and Rubberband Man is struggling to keep up with them all."

Katrina's brows furrowed, "What about Static or Gear?"

"No sign of them or Alba Terra. It's like they disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

_"What are the chances that they'd vanish along with Virgil, Richie, and Kathrine?" _An odd thought then crossed her mind, _"Terra is missing because Kathrine is missing. But why..."_

"Hello? Katrina? Are you still there?"

"...Yes, sir." she answered, still deep in thought, "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to go now. I'll call you if I learn anything new."

"Alright. Thank you, Katrina."

Katrina hung up the phone and tucked it back into her pocket as she pursued her previous train of thought.

_"Kathrine ducks out of class when there's trouble and, at the same time, Virgil and Richie are nowhere to be found. Kathrine bails out on plans at the last minute because of bad guys, Virgil and Richie are unusually flaky. Virgil seems to be a genius at fixing technology and making it work, Static has electric powers. Richie is incredibly smart with an IQ much higher than even the most gifted high school, Gear is exceptionally intelligent." _Katrina paused as the dots began connecting in her head, _"Same body types, same voices, same personalities... There's no way it could be a coincidence."_

The realization struck her like lightening. Her jaw fell wide open and her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

Francis, who had been watching the rapid change of Katrina's facial expressions, waited for her to say something, to give some sort of explanation for the way she was behaving. A few minutes passed, she said nothing.

He sighed impatiently, "What? What is it?"

"This is one of those situations where people say, _'oh, my god'_."

"Don't keep me waiting, out with it!"

She turned to him, astonishment written all over her face, "I know why Virgil and Richie are missing."

"Why?"

"It's because Static and Gear are missing."

Francis blinked, "...You are not making any sense."

"Don't you get it?" she asked, "Virgil is Static, Richie is Gear! They were probably taken by Wade when they were on patrol with Terra!"

"Katrina," he began slowly, as if explaining something to a small child, "That's nuts."

"Not really. Think about it, Francis." she urged, "Their voices, body types, and personalities are identical. Whenever Static and Gear appear, Virgil and Richie disappear. They act the same way Kathrine does when there's trouble and needs to slip away. Plus, you said it yourself, Virgil _**was**_ at the docks that night. It all adds up."

The more Francis thought about it, the more he realized that Katrina was right. Static did act like Virgil, but because Virgil never acted any differently towards him after the big bang, he never made the connection. And although he didn't recall seeing Richie at the docks, he had noticed that his mediocre intelligence had steadily rose to ridiculous heights after the event.

"Even if they are," Francis said, trying to snap out of his daze, "we still need to get them back."

"Why, Francis! I didn't know you cared so much!"

It was an inappropriate time to make a joke, but it was all Katrina could do to keep her overloaded mind away from a hysteric episode. It was all just so much in such a short amount of time, it was almost more than she could handle.

Predictably, Francis didn't laugh. "I don't. But being tortured by Wade is something I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even Ebon."

They started moving again, both a bit on edge.

"So... I take it that you and this Ebon have history, or something?"

"You could say that." he grunted, ducking under a particularly low pipe, "I teamed up with the Meta-Breed sometimes, but Ebon always had to be in charge. I don't like being told what to do, which is why I usually worked alone, so that made us to fight a lot."

Katrina absently nodded, recalling what Onyx said about Wade getting under Ebon's skin. "He likes to be in charge, then?"

"Yeah, in charge and feared. I wasn't afraid of him and that pissed him off because he couldn't control me like the others. In his mind, he's the strongest, badest bang baby in Dakota."

"That's probably why he hates Wade so much." Katrina then grinned, an idea forming in her head, "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see."

__**.:Line Break:.**

Sorry about being gone so long. Like I said in the beginning, I'm worried about a friend of mine. I also have finals coming up and I'm graduating soon, so things have been hectic to say the least. Thanks again for your patience and support, you guys have no idea how happy your feedback and encouragement makes me. You guys are the greatest and I hope that you'll continue to stick with me.


	14. Found

Okay, let's all have a moment of silence to mourn the loss of my netbook. It died and I haven't been able to get a new one until now. Even though my new laptop is better, I still kind of miss my netbook. It was the first computer I posted fanfiction on. Stupid, yes, but I'm sentimental like that. I'm sorry for being gone for so long. Anyway, let's get started.

**highlander348**: Ebon doesn't know about their secret identities, only Wade and his crew. Though Virgil and Richie will have a hard time explaining to their parents why they were missing for so long.

**AwesomeJellyBean**: My thoughts exactly. Thank you for waiting.

**pocketpirate**: Yes, Katrina can be quite devious when she wants to be, that's what makes her so much fun!

**Sakura: **I did the same thing, that's how I came up with the story. Thanks for your review!

**Chavonnie26: **Thank you for the encouragement, it means a lot to me.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Static Shock_, blah, blah, blah, don't sue me.

**Warning: **Violence, foul language, etc.

**.:Line Break:.**

Later the duo arrived at the Metabreed hideout. The two didn't hide themselves this time as Francis told her it would be useless with Ebon's powers. Talon and Shiv eyed them warily, while Ebon glared at Francis.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Hotstreak." The living shadow growled, "And with your little girlfriend here, too. I've heard about what you two have been doing. I'm not telling you anything."

Francis growled back, body smoking, eyes fading to a milky white, "Wrong answer, Ebon! I'm not afraid of you so don't think I won't beat the information out of you!"

Shiv was the first to jump to his boss' defense, hands morphing into purple glowing blades. Talon was next, feathers ruffling as her muscles tensed. Ebon drew closer to Francis, causing the pyro to light his hands. Just as it looked like a fight was about to break out, Katrina intervened.

"Um, excuse me." she began, stepping between the Ebon and Hotstreak. She received confused looks from everyone except the shadow, who sneered at her for getting in the way.

"What do you want?"

The healer smiled coyly, mischief gleaming in her blue irises, "There's no need for violence. We just want to talk."

Ebon scoffed, crossing his arms, "I'm not in a talking mood."

"That's a shame, because I was hoping that we could help each other out."

He appeared to be mildly intrigued, "Go on."

Shiv's blades disappeared as he, Talon, and Francis relaxed. Ebon was clearly feeling less hostile.

"I hear that you don't like Wade, which is understandable. I mean, you've been the biggest, most feared bang baby in all of Dakota for awhile now and suddenly, here comes this punk trying to upstage you, and he hasn't even used his powers yet. He just sends out others he's recruited to do his dirty work for him." Katrina shot him an almost pitying glance, "I can't even begin to imagine how frustrating that must be for you."

Francis realized what she was doing and resisted the urge to smirk.

"If he keeps gathering more people, he'll be the one everyone is afraid of and you'll be nothing more than a shadow."

Ebon snarled at her choice of words and Katrina knew she had hit a nerve. "Get to the point."

"Easy, easy. I'm getting there." She told him, pleased with how well things were working, "I've heard a rumor. A rumor that Wade has captured Terra, Static, and Gear. Considering the fact that they haven't been seen all day despite the crime, I'm guessing it's true. If he can take down three superheroes, two of which are famous, think of how people will react. More bang babies would join up with him and he'll be the one everyone fears, not you."

"I won't ask again, girl. What's your point?"

"My point," she began, "is that if you tell us where Wade is hiding out, not only would we be able to save them, giving you ample opportunity to take them down later, but it will also utterly humiliate Wade to have them slip through his fingers. You don't have to do a thing, we'll take care of the dirty work and no one has to know you told us."

Ebon raised a brow, seemingly impressed. He glanced at Francis, "Where'd an idiot like you find a girl like her?"

"Hey!"

"Calm down." She told the pyro. Turning back to the Metabreed leader, she held out her hand, "Do we have a deal, Ebon?"

He regarded her silently for a moment before nodding. He gripped her hand tightly, giving it a shake. "Yeah, we have a deal. You know the old abandoned bakery down town? Under that is a bunch of old subway tunnels. He's directly under the bakery itself."

Katrina grinned, "Pleasure doing business with you. Let's go, Hotstreak."

Ebon watched the two leave. The girl was smart, he'd give her that. She was definitely smarter than Hotstreak which made him wonder where he found her and why she hung out with him.

_"Too bad she isn't a bang baby."_ He thought to himself, _"It'd be good to have someone like her in the Metabreed."_

**.:Line Break:.**

The sun began to rise as the two neared their destination, though they were oblivious to it being underground. They were tired and hungry and relieved to know that everything would soon be over. However, the feeling soon dissipated when they unexpectedly ran into trouble.

The tunnel they were supposed to go down to get to Wade's hideout led to a brick wall.

Francis growled, frustrated by everything they had been put through, "Damn it! I knew we couldn't trust that bastard!"

"This doesn't make any sense…" Katrina thought aloud, "Ebon wants to be rid of Wade. Why would he lie?"

"Because he's an asshole!" he yelled, walking over to the wall, "He probably wants the credit of bringing down Wade himself."

Katrina watched with weary eyes as Francis moved to lean up against the wall, only to see his upper half fall through when he tried to put his weight on it.

"Ow! What the hell?"

The healer gasped and rushed to his side as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Seeing that he wasn't bleeding or bruised, she examined the "wall". She reached out to touch it, but her hand passed through it just as Francis had.

"It's… not real?"

The pyro glared at it, as if blaming it for his fall, "Obviously."

"Do you think it's a hologram of some kind?" Katrina asked as she and Francis got to their feet, "You don't think one of the bang babies Wade recruited made it, do you?"

"Don't know, don't care." he grunted, "At least we know Ebon wasn't lying to us."

Katrina nodded, her mind lingering on the "wall" even as they passed it and continued on.

Soon after, the two came upon a large metal door. It was made of steel and it appeared to have been installed in the tunnels only recently.

The healer grabbed the handle and pulled, only to find it locked. She voiced her observation to Francis and stepped away from the door, "We must be pretty close."

Fire formed in the pyro's hands, "Get behind me."

She did as she was told, watching as her friend blasted the door off its hinges. It fell with a loud _crash_ and cracked the tiled flooring on the other side.

"We should hurry." Katrina whispered, passing Francis, "Someone will have heard that."

They rushed through the dark tunnels until they came to a point where there was a hole in the tiled subway wall, a dirt tunnel beyond it. Near the opening was a small wooden table with a small flickering candle and three familiar masks.

"Damn it!" Katrina cursed, grabbing them, "Wade's unmasked them."

"So, he knows who they are." he mused, "That means that you're in even more trouble now. You'll be a target."

"Can't worry about that now. Let's go!" She dashed down the tunnel, panic and fear overriding exhaustion.

A little deeper into the tunnel was a small dark cell. Katrina froze upon finding it and seeing what was inside. Her sister was slumped up against the back wall, battered and bruised, unconscious. Next to her were the forms of Richie and Virgil, dressed as Gear and Static, also unconscious and in the same condition her sister was in.

Katrina was unsure whether she should feel relieved or frightened by the situation. On the one hand, her sister and friends had been found. On the other hand, Wade and his gang knew who they were and where to find them. Were any of them safe anymore? If Wade wasn't above torturing people, how low was he willing to sink to get at them?

Katrina shuddered at the thought.

"Looks like you were right." Francis said, gently pushing Katrina aside so he could melt the hinges off the cell door. There would be time for him to be shocked about this scene later. If Wade could render three bang babies useless, they didn't have time to sit and stare.

Once the hinges were gone, he pulled the door away and carefully retrieved Virgil and Richie, carrying them under his arms. Katrina put Kathrine on her back, trying not to drop their masks. They left without further delay, surprisingly not running into any trouble.

**.:Line Break:.**

The duo managed to bring the injured heroes to the Blake household before sunrise without being seen. Katrina put Kathrine in her room, instructing Francis to set Virgil and Richie down on the double bed in the guest room.

He watched as she went to work on her friends, healing their serious injuries first, then fixing as many of their cuts and bruises as she could. She couldn't heal all of them, though. Her abilities required intense focus and quite a bit of her energy. She wouldn't be able to heal all of their injuries and her sister's too, so she had to take care of anything that could potentially become problematic.

By the time she was done with Virgil and Richie, her exhaustion was weighing down on her more than it had before and it showed. The dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep were more pronounced and she was much paler than she usually was. She walked out of the room, nearly dragging her feet because her body felt so heavy as she made her way to her sister's room. She stumbled and almost fell flat on her face, but Francis caught her and steadied her. She mumbled a quick "thanks" and continued on her way to her sister's room.

Just like with Virgil and Richie, she was quiet while healing her sister as well. Francis leaned against the wall opposite the bed, arms crossed over his chest, deep in thought as he kept an eye on the healer so she didn't pass out.

He wondered why he hadn't made the connections about the heroes before. The signs were right in front of him the entire time. He had even seen Virgil at the big bang and he still hadn't realized that he was Static. He probably never would have either if it hadn't been for this little stunt Wade pulled.

He thought back to how they found the heroes, a frown pulling at his lips. "Did you notice it?"

Katrina glanced at him, not needing him to elaborate, "Yeah. No guards, no alarm, no traps. It was… unsettling, to say the least."

"Exactly." he said, "Either Wade was cocky and thought no one would find them, or…"

"Or he planned for it all to happen the way it did. I know. It's been bothering me." the healer admitted softly, "But why? What's his purpose? I just… can't figure out what it is that he wants. And how did he know we would save them? Did he plan for us to go and get them? How could he have known?"

Francis raised a brow, "You think he's screwing with us?"

"I don't think we should jump to any conclusions just yet, but… it is entirely possible."

The pyro growled, not liking the idea of being toyed with.

"I'm just about done here." Katrina told him, "If you want to go home, you can. I should be fine."

He shot her a questioning look, disbelief in his green eyes.

"Really, I'm fine." she assured, "Go home and get some sleep. There's no reason why we should both suffer."

She had meant the last part as a joke and even gave him a little smile, but the light didn't reach her eyes. He was hesitant to leave, though he wasn't sure why. After all, he had finished his job. Kathrine, Virgil, and Richie had been found, there was nothing left for him to do.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll be fine." Another smile, just as fake as the first.

Francis lingered a moment before pushing off the wall and walking out of the room. He made his way to the front door, checking his phone as he did so. As he suspected, there were numerous messages from Officer Gore. He listened to his voice mail, feeling a little guilty when he heard the concern in her voice.

The pyro sighed and was about to grab the doorknob when something stopped him. The image of Katrina's fake smile popped into his head.

"_She doesn't want to be alone."_

He drew his hand back and hit his head on the door with a single _thud_ and mentally cursed himself. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not will himself to leave.

_"What the hell is wrong with me?" _he thought, rubbing the back of his neck.

Seeing no other option, Francis straightened up and trudged back up the stairs, sending Officer Gore a text message saying that he was fine. He found Kathrine's door cracked open, just how he had left it. Peering inside, he saw Katrina sitting in a chair by her sister's bedside, feebly trying to fend off sleep. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but smirk and shake his head.

Katrina was so tired, she didn't even notice Francis reenter the room until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled, and looked up at him in surprise.

"Francis?"

"Sleep." he told her, "They're not going anywhere."

Katrina smiled a real smile as her eyes slowly fluttered shut. Three words left her lips as sleep claimed her: "Thank you, Francis."

**.:Line Break:.**

Don't really have much to say this time. Please tell me what you think.


	15. Nightmare within a Nightmare

Sorry, I know it's been awhile.

**highlander348: **Glad you liked it! I'll be trying to squeeze in some KathrineXRIchie soon.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **I'm glad you like it! I hope that I'll continue to hear from you.

**Himeno Kazehito: **I'mglad you're enjoying the story. Thank you for the review.

**Mitsuki Shigamatsu:** Thank you for the review.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own _Static Shock_.

**Warning: **Violence, foul language, all that good stuff.

**.:Line Break:.**

Kathrine awoke to a painful throbbing in her skull, like a sharp instrument was stabbing at her brain repeatedly. Her entire body was sore and it ached, muscles protesting to even the slightest movement. The odd thing, she realized, was that her ankle didn't hurt at all. With a jolt, she shot up, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings.

Instead of the small cell that she had been sitting in, she was in her bedroom. Her mask, she discovered, was sitting innocently on the nightstand. She glanced down at herself, seeing that she was still in her costume, covered in less bruises than she remembered having. Rotating her ankle experimentally, she came to the conclusion that her sister somehow managed to rescue and heal her. Looking up at her room, Kathrine felt her blood turn to ice.

Her sister sat in a chair next to her, hair and clothes a mess, fast asleep. Considering the circumstances, that was to be expected. What Kathrine hadn't expected, was for Francis Stone, A.K.A Hotstreak, to be slumped against her wall, looking no better than Katrina, also asleep.

She was still in her costume, without her mask. He had to have seen her. He knew who she was…

Kathrine did the only thing that made sense in her panicked mind. She let out a bloodcurdling screech, unconsciously trying to scoot as far away from him as possible on her bed.

Alarmed by the sudden cry, Katrina and Francis awoke. The pyro shot to his feet, alert, flames burning in his hands. Katrina sat up straight, wide eyes searching for danger.

Faintly, soft thuds and hushed, frantic voices were heard in the hallway. Soon Virgil and Richie burst into the room, nearly tripping over each other while wearing the other's mask.

Francis took in the situation and, as there was no danger, relaxed. Extinguishing his flames, he was torn between laughing at the duo's idiocy or sighing at how stupid they looked.

Katrina, it seemed, chose to laugh. "Nice masks!"

The two glanced at each other sheepishly, but were reluctant to remove the masks because Francis was in the room.

"You can drop the act now, Sparky." Francis told him, "I already know who you two are. Virgil Hawkins and Richie Foley."

The boys were shocked to hear their names. Realizing it was pointless to wear them any longer, they took off the masks.

"Katrina…"

All eyes were on Kathrine as she spoke her sister's name with unfamiliar venom.

"How could you?" she asked her, her tone dangerous and low, "How could you expose us to _him_?"

Gone was the laughing grin the healer had only moments ago, now replaced with a frown and sad eyes. "I had no choice. I didn't have anyone else to turn to. If I had ran into trouble by myself, you know better than anyone that my powers wouldn't have helped much. Without Francis, I never would have found you and you might have been…"

Killed. The unspoken word weighed down on everyone. No one wanted to say it, to realize how close to death the three probably were.

Kathrine's anger dissipated and she allowed Katrina to tell her what they had been through. When the younger Blake finished speaking, Kathrine gazed at the pyro.

"So now what?" she asked, her tone somewhat accusing, "Are you going to tell our secret to Ebon?"

"Kathrine…!" the healer warned.

Francis just chuckled, albeit humorlessly, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Fuck no. He and everyone else can figure it out on his own."

The green eyed girl's brow furrowed, "Why?"

"'Cause I'm a greedy bastard who doesn't like sharing anything. I thought you would've figured that out by now."

_"Nothing about you is easy to figure out." _She thought, relieved, but exasperated.

Now that the situation had been sorted out, the room was silent. Everyone was disturbed by what Wade was doing, each of them knowing that they'd have to confront him sooner or later. For awhile, the ominous thought just loomed in their minds, tormenting and frightening them.

"Hey… What time is it?" Richie asked, fed up with the silence.

Katrina glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to her, "Sunday, 12:46 p.m."

The three heroes jumped.

"Sunday?! Oh, man, my pops must be freaking out by now!"

"My parents have probably called a search team by now!"

"Actually, guys…" Katrina began, biting her lip, "Mr. Hawkins called me and asked about you. He also said that Richie's parents called him because he went missing like you did. I honestly don't know how you're going to explain this to them without telling the truth."

Virgil sighed, running a hand through his dreadlocks, "I guess we have no choice, then."

Katrina stood, resting a hand on each boys shoulder as she gave them a reassuring smile. "Kathrine and I will go with you. You know, for moral support."

"Sure, why not?" Kathrine said, allowing a small smile to grow on her face.

"Thanks." The blond said, grateful that he wouldn't be alone when his parents flipped out. Both he and Virgil grinned.

Katrina glanced at Francis curiously, "Are you coming with us or…"

Shaking his head, he gave her a toothy grin, though his eyes were devoid of emotion. Katrina wasn't sure if it was because he was worn out or something else, but it bothered her nonetheless.

"Nah, I have to get going." He told her nonchalantly, "Gore will be pissed if I don't go back soon and you know how she gets."

Katrina nodded, frowning. She sensed that there was something he wasn't telling her, but didn't push it. She knew that he wouldn't tell her anything with the three heroes in the room.

The truth was that Francis didn't feel like he belonged there, with them. The four of them were close, like family. They were good people and he was a criminal. He didn't know what a family was supposed to be like, not a good, loving family, anyway. He felt like he was intruding, like he shouldn't be there. The saddest part was that in the back of his mind, Francis didn't feel like he deserved a good family.

**.:Line Break:.**

After Francis left the Blake house hold, Kathrine changed into normal clothes before the four set out to the Gas Station of Solitude so the boys could do the same (as they kept spare outfits there just in case). Then Katrina called Mr. Hawkins to tell him and Richie's parents that the missing teens had been found and were making their way to his house.

Not even five minutes after walking in the front door, the boys were assaulted with hugs from their worried families. Mr. Hawkins had even turned away from Virgil long enough to fret over Kathrine. Eventually everyone settled down enough, they began questioning the teens.

"Virgil," Mr. Hawkins started, his voice calm, "I'm glad that you, Richie, and Kathrine are alright, but what happened? You went missing for almost three days and you come back looking like you all were in a bad fight."

"We were worried sick, Richie." Mrs. Foley said, "I think we deserve an explanation."

Virgil shuffled nervously while Richie suddenly found himself fascinated by the floor. Kathrine squeezed Virgil's shoulder, attempting to reassure him.

"Well, pops… The thing is…" he struggled, trying to figure out how to put it delicately.

Katrina watched her friend with a sympathetic look. She could understand how difficult it had to be to tell your family that you're a bang baby. She could tell that he didn't like keeping it a secret from them, but on the other hand he just wasn't ready to tell him yet.

At that moment, a light bulb went off in the healer's head.

"The thing is, pops…"

"The thing is they were kidnapped by the Meta-Breed." Katrina spoke up.

Both families wore disturbed expressions as Virgil's head whipped toward her.

"What are you doin'?" he asked her under his breath.

"Improvising. Just go with it."

"Why on Earth would the Meta-Breed kidnap you three?" Sharon asked.

"He was planning on using them as bait to lure Static to him. Francis helped me track him down and took them on while I helped Virgil, Richie, and my sister. They got away before we could call the cops, though." Katrina wove the tale wonderfully, satisfying the worried families and answering any possible questions with logical reasons.

"_That's_ what you've been doing these past few days, Katrina?" Mr. Hawkins asked, his tone one of clear disapproval.

She bowed her head with actual guilt, "Yes, Mr. Hawkins. I'm sorry for not telling you, but I had to do this."

"What you did was reckless and dangerous, Katrina. Regardless of your intentions, you should have let the police do that. What if you had gotten hurt, or worse?"

"I know, Mr. Hawkins. I'm sorry."

Mr. Hawkins sighed, "As long as you understand. What really matters is that you're all safe."

Once again, the two families smothered Virgil and Richie with hugs and concerns for their health. It was then that the Blake sisters said good-bye to the boys and left.

None of them had any idea that things were about to get much worse.

**.:Line Break:.**

The next day was Monday, meaning that the five weary bang babies had to wake up early and go to school, much to their dismay. Kahtrine and Katrina met up with Virgil and Richie on the way to school, as usual, and ran into Francis at the school's entrance, also as usual. The only thing that was unusual was the fact that Officer Gore was not by the pyros side. When Katrina asked him about it, he merely shrugged and told her that Angela had been called down to the police station.

The day progressed normally. Katrina and Francis talked and made jokes. Virgil, Kathrine, and Richie talked about the latest video games and the best comic books, though Katrina noticed that the blond was sitting closer to her sister than usual. It was a rather peaceful day, which was good because none of them wanted to think about Wade just yet.

And then it happened.

During ninth period, a class all five bang babies had together, Officer Gore walked in five minutes before the bell rang. Her expression was bleak, anxiety in her eyes. Katrina instantly took note of it and, in response, she felt her stomach tie itself up in knots.

"Francis Stone," she said, her voice even and neutral, "I need you to accompany me to the principal's office. There's… there's something important that needs to be discussed."

Confused because he couldn't think of anything he had done wrong recently, Francis gathered his things and followed her out of the room.

Katrina's first instinct was to follow him, but she couldn't because the bell hadn't rung yet. Blue eyes glued themselves to the clock, anxiously following the hands. Five minutes had never seemed so long in her life…

RIIIIIIING!

Katrina shot out of her seat, nearly knocking over her chair and drawing the entire classrooms attention to her in the process. She didn't care, though. She bolted out of the room, absolute dread crushing her heart in its relentless grip. She dashed through the halls, moving as fast as her legs could carry her.

A couple of teachers told her to slow down, that she wasn't supposed to run in the halls, but honestly, at that moment, it wasn't possible for her to care any less. They couldn't stop her either, as she was moving too fast for them to catch her. Katrina bumped into several students along the way and almost all of them yelled at her, but they couldn't stop her either. She couldn't stop. Even when her legs started to ache and her chest hurt from lack of oxygen, she couldn't stop. She simply couldn't stop, not until she saw that her friend was okay.

At last she came to an abrupt halt in front of the principal's office. She doubled over for a moment, hand bracing the wall while she sucked in greedy gulps of air. Once her breathing evened out, Katrina peered into the office from the doorway, hiding herself from view. Inside were the principal, Officer Gore, Francis, and a well dressed man she had never seen before.

He had dark brown, almost black hair and dark green eyes. He bore a shocking resemblance to Francis and smiled at him almost lovingly. Almost.

Katrina knew better, though. The man's eyes didn't portray the same emotion his smile did. They were cold, she'd even go as far as to say that they were practically unfeeling.

Francis' body was tense as he stared at the man. She could tell that he was surprised and very, very upset. She couldn't blame him, looking at the man made her feel sick to her stomach.

Suddenly, she had a vision of a man with brown hair and eyes approaching her with a face carved with anger and a broken beer bottle in his hand.

_** /"Worthless kid!"/**_

__Katrina quickly shook the thought away and returned her attention to the office.

"Francis," he began, false sweetness in his voice, "I'm so glad I found you. When you ran away, I was so worried about you."

For a while, Francis said nothing. Slowly, he bowed his head and clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. "Father…" It was barely above a whisper, but everyone heard it.

Katrina was shocked, to say the least. Though it did answer some things. She might not have known exactly what the man had done while in his son's life, but if he was as twisted as she thought he was, it was no wonder why Francis had turned out the way he did. In fact, she was surprised he hadn't turned out worse.

"As Thomas Stone has turned up," Angela said with a sigh, "I will be leaving you in his custody."

The words left a foul taste in her mouth. If there was one thing she had learned from her job, it was how to accurately judge people in an instant. She didn't trust Mr. Stone at all and could tell that something wasn't right about him. The words Francis spoke on the day he met the Blake sisters echoed in her mind, making her weary of the man. Francis's tense reaction upon seeing his father only further proved to her that giving him up to his father was a bad idea. But by law she had to, if she didn't she'd lose her job.

Angela had become very fond of Francis in the short time she had looked after him. True, she'd still see him at school due to his parole, but it gave her little comfort. She genuinely cared about him and found that she didn't mind having him in her home. She had begun to think of him as family.

The moment she saw pure fear in Francis's eyes, she wanted nothing more than to say, "To hell with it", tear him away from the awful man who called himself his father, and tell him to drop dead. However, she knew she had to ignore the urge. If she lost her job, she'd lose the ability to help the pyro and that thought was much worse.

"Mr. Stone… will be taking you home with him… today."

Francis was finding it hard to breathe. Memories flashed before his eyes. The woman, the knife, the blood, the scene hit him all at once.

The only person who had ever scared him shitless was standing mere inches away from him. He still wore the perfect little mask he always wore, the one nobody could see through. As a child, he had told people that his father was a bad man, but one look at the well crafted mask and they all just assumed that he was lying. Eventually, Francis just stopped reaching out, which soon led to the start of his criminal tendencies.

He didn't want him there. All he wanted to do was run in the opposite direction, to get as far away from this man as possible. In the back of his mind, he knew that he couldn't. Francis knew that no matter how far he ran or where he hid, that man _would_ find him. He_ always_ found him. Like a nightmare he could never fully wake up from.

"Let's go home, Francis." Thomas said, using that sickeningly fake loving tone that the pyro despised so much, "What do you say?" Mr. Stone clasped Francis' shoulder. Unbeknownst to the others in the room, he was actually gripping it so tightly that there would surely be bruises later. It was a silent promise of worse things yet to come.

Francis didn't want to go anywhere with him, but he was afraid. Afraid of what he would do to him and afraid of what he would do to what very little he held dear. He thought of Katrina and Officer Gore and bit his tongue. No, he had to be obedient, for them. He wouldn't let it happen again. Not this time, not to them.

Francis nodded, "…Yes, father." He wouldn't let anyone else die because of him.

Mr. Stone grinned, secretly pleased by his submission, "Excellent! Let's go."

Angela couldn't take the sight of them leaving. Just before they walked out the door, she reached out and said, "Wait."

Father and son turned to her. Irritation flickered briefly in Thomas' eyes, but it was gone before anyone else could see it. "Yes, Miss Gore?" he asked, plastic smile perfectly in place, "Is there something you needed?"

Officer Gore narrowed her eyes, she wasn't blind to the fact that he intentionally didn't use her title. He was trying to discretely insult her. "That's _Officer_ Gore, Mr. Stone. I ask that you remember that."

Thomas knew that this woman was suspicious of him and didn't buy his act at all. He also noticed a girl watching them from the doorway, glancing at his son with concern in her precious blue eyes. He could already tell that these females were going to cause trouble.

_"They always do."_

"Of course, _Officer _Gore. You'll have to forgive me, I have no idea where my manners are."

_"Up your ass, maybe?"_ she thought rudely.

Instead of voicing this, though, she chose to don a false smile of her own and said, "It's fine. I'm sure that you're just _so_ happy to have finally found your son. I was going to say that Francis' belongings are at my house. I think it would behoove you to allow him to retrieve them."

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary." he said, smile straining.

"Oh, but I think it is." The police officer insisted, her smile straining as well.

Katrina and Francis both recognized the fact that there was enough ice in their voices from those two simple sentences to freeze all of Dakota.

The two adults just stood there, staring at one another, neither wanting, nor willing to budge.

Finally, Mr. Stone gave in. As the principal was the only one fooled by his act, he didn't want to appear suspicious in front of him. After all, if things went wrong Thomas could use him to his advantage later.

"Well, if you insist, Officer Gore. It will give the two of you a chance to say…good-bye."

Angela didn't care for the way he said that, but refused to let it show on her face. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how he unnerved her. "I will still see your son at school, Mr. Stone."

He laughed, "Of course you will."

She strode over to him and offered her hand, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

Grasping her hand, he gave it a brief shake, "A pleasure meeting you as well, Officer Gore."

She brushed past him as she made her way to the door, purposely bumping shoulders. Leaning into his ear, she whispered, "I don't know much about you, you two-faced bastard, but I do know that Francis doesn't like you very much and frankly neither do I. I know that you're hiding _something_. Mark my words, _Mr. Stone_, if any harm comes to that boy, come Hell or high water, I _will_ hunt you down like the dog you are and make you regret slithering out of whatever dark, slimy hole you came from."

If she had been talking to a normal person, her acidic words would have struck fear in their hearts. However, Thomas Stone was not a normal person by any stretch of the imagination, he feared no one. While others would have felt frightened by Angela's speech, he only felt amusement.

Officer Gore stepped into the hall where she noticed Katrina for the first time. One look at her face told the blond that she had heard and seen everything.

Katrina said nothing as gazed up at the officer with hurt, questioning blue orbs, appearing to be just as disturbed by the turn of events as she was. The healer searched the older woman's face, looking for what, neither knew. No words could be given to comfort the young girl or make her feel any less helpless. Guiltily, Angela bowed her head as a sort of apology. An apology for not being able to protect the person they both deeply cared about.

Francis was the next person to walk out of the office, head bowed and fists shaking at his sides. He saw Katrina by the door and knew that she had been listening, but he walked right passed her. He had to put distance between they, he wouldn't let her get hurt.

Katrina grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. He kept his back to her, refusing to look at her. "Francis…"

The glare he threw at her over his shoulder almost made her heart stop. His lip curled in disgust, anger and hate burning in his eyes. Katrina had to admit, the sharp gaze cut her deeper than any physical blade ever could.

"Don't fucking touch me. I've already told you my name is Hotstreak, you stupid bitch."

The only thing that pained her more than his stare were the words he spoke to her. So cold and harsh, she almost burst into tears.

Then he walked away like nothing happened, not even sparing her a second glance even though he was in just as much pain as she was.

Finally, Thomas Stone exited the office, shutting the door behind him. He made his way over to Katrina, who was still staring down the hall after Francis, her mind trying to process what was going on. He cleared his throat, causing the girl to jump. Mr. Stone looked down on her with menacing dark green orbs, a twisted smirk playing at his lips.

For a very short moment, Katrina swore that she was staring into the eyes of a cold blooded killer.

"Young lady," he used that nauseatingly sweet voice, "Eavesdropping is wrong."

Katrina felt something in her snap, her fear replaced with unbridled fury. Whatever the man had done to his son, Francis was clearly afraid of him. When they had spoken briefly of parents in the past, she had sensed the hate he harbored for his father. This man was causing Francis pain and she couldn't allow it.

Fire burned brightly within her narrowed blue orbs. A sneer marred her pretty face, a low growl emitting from her throat. She wanted so badly to punch this man, she wanted to wipe the messed up expression off his face. She opened her mouth to yell and curse at him, only to be stopped when Officer Gore placed her hand on her shoulder.

Gazing up at the woman, she instantly got the message. She shouldn't do anything that he could use as ammunition later.

Katrina's shoulders sagged as she returned her attention to a rather smug Mr. Stone. "I… will keep that in mind… Mr. Stone." Her fists shook at her side as he walked by. "You should be cautious of hurting others, Mr. Stone." She stated, causing him to pause, "Karma is a bitch."

He let out a bark of laughter as he walked away.

Angela squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, but the healer refused to meet her eyes. "Don't give up." was all she said before she followed the retreating father and son.

Katrina fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. With the halls empty, she finally allowed herself to cry.

_"What do I do?"_

**.:Line Break:.**

I made this chapter longer than usual for two reasons. One, I've been gone for a long time. Two, I wanted to keep this all of this stuff together. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review, please!


	16. Relapse and Realization

**AwesomeJellyBean: **I know. I'm so mean to the characters in my stories. I wonder if that makes me a bad person…

**pocketpirate: **Thank you. I'm pleased to know that I caught some people off guard.

**Mitsuki Shigmatsu: **Oh, trust me, Thomas Stone gets his in the end.

**Chavonnie26: **Thank you. I'm really just learning to write better, though.

**Maiokoe: **I'm glad that you like. Things tend to get crazy at home, so every now and then I slip up with updating.

**highlander348: **Don't worry. Everything will work out in the end.

**Himeno Kazehito: **Here's the new chapter. Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **…You know the drill. I don't own _Static Shock_.

**Warning: **Violence, foul language, etc.

**.:Line Break:.**

Two hours later Francis had finally grabbed the last bag from his room at Angela Gore's house, having placed the rest of it in his father's car already. Duffle bag in hand, he took one last look at the room he actually hadn't minded calling his.

He didn't want to leave. He didn't care where the man who called himself his father lived. _This_ was his home and _Angela _was the closest thing he had to family. While he had still acted out a bit, he had been happy _here_. He knew that regardless of where his father took him, he would never be as content as he had been while he lived with Officer Gore.

Francis was so angry and frustrated. Before his father showed up again, he had actually been enjoying his life, despite Wade's appearance. He had started feeling less angry and hadn't felt as tempted to do anything that was deemed wrong. He had had people who cared about him, really cared about him, and just as he was beginning to get used to it, he had it all ripped away from him by his father. He couldn't say that he was all that surprised. His father was the bane of his existence, after all.

One last look at his room, one last wish that he didn't have to leave, and Francis shut the door.

Trudging down the stairs, he saw Angela standing by the front door, hugging herself. He could see in her eyes that she didn't want him to go and, in a way, that made him happy. As he approached her he almost expected her to give him a lecture about how he treated Katrina in the halls.

Not that he didn't deserve it, because he totally did. It was just that he already knew how much he hurt her and didn't want to be reminded of it.

"Hey, don't… don't be so hard on Katrina." she told him, her voice unusually quiet, "She really cares about you, you dolt."

_"I know that." _he thought, gripping the handle of his bag tightly, _"That's why I had to do it."_

"I have to admit," she continued with a sigh, a wry smile on her lips, "I'm going to miss having you around, you pain in the ass. Don't forget that I'll still be at school though, so you better watch yourself."

He nodded and reluctantly reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone and house keys. "I guess I won't be needing these anymore."

The blond cop regarded him for a moment before shaking her head and closing his hand around the two items. He gazed at her questioningly.

"Keep them." she said simply, "You may need them."

He was silent, although inside he couldn't have been happier. But that only made the pain of leaving that much worse. As soon as the phone and keys had been placed back into his pocket, Angela grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug, catching him completely off guard.

At that moment, Francis felt… loved. It was a wonderful feeling, one he had almost forgotten about since the last time he had ever really felt it was when he was a child. Francis had to fight the urge to return the warm embrace. He couldn't show that he cared, or else _he_ would take her away too.

All too soon, Angela pulled away, leaving her hands on his shoulders. As she smiled at him, Francis was sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him. For a moment, instead of blond hair he saw crimson with blond streaks, instead of blue irises he saw green. Blinking, he shook his head and then the image was gone.

"Take care of yourself. And don't forget you can always come to me when you need help. I'm here for you."

He nodded, dropping his eyes to the floor. He wanted to tell her everything the despicable man who called himself his father had done. Francis wanted to beg her to let him stay. He wanted to tell her that he feared for his life and that he'd do anything to get away from the man outside. But he couldn't. If he did, she'd be in danger.

"See you around." He muttered, going out the door. He walked over to his father's car, threw his bag in the back seat, and got in. Buckling his seatbelt, he met Thomas Stone's eyes in the rear view mirror.

"Did you _really _think you could escape me? Did you really _think_ that you _deserve_ to be happy, you little monster?" he taunted, his true nature rearing its ugly head, "Why _should_ you get to be happy? You got your mother killed."

_"Maybe I did."_ Francis thought guiltily, green eyes going vacant, _"But you're the one who stabbed her."_

**.:Line Break:.**

Katrina never went home after she left school. She was too angry, upset, and confused to do that. Kathrine had tried to call her until the sun set, which was when she had to go out on patrol, but she ignored all attempts to communicate.

She had seen evil in Mr. Stone's eyes and it both scared and angered her how frightened his mere presence made Francis. She was devastated when the pyro had shut her out so completely. Those words, his eyes, it had hurt her so much. HE had never spoken like that to her before and it cut her deeply.

The more she dwelled on these thoughts, the more she became confused. Why did she care so deeply for Francis? Yes, she wanted to help him and they had become friends, but even she could tell that what she felt went beyond kindness and friendship. She had felt it for awhile but she could not, for the life of her, put a name to it. It was beginning to drive her nuts.

So, in what she was sure was a vain attempt to sort out her feelings and decide what to do about the current situation, she wandered around the dark streets of Dakota. This task would have been easier if she hadn't been filled with so much burning rage to do so.

_"What am I going to do?" _she asked herself, shoving her hands in her pockets in a very Francis like manner, _"I can already tell that the idiot is probably planning on shutting me out. What am I supposed to do if he won't let anyone help him?"_

Without realizing it, Katrina wandered into the same ally way where Francis had found out she was a bang baby. Instead of comforting her, as the happy memory should have, it only served to enrage her further. Growling, Katrina kicked over a trashcan, garbage flying everywhere.

"DAMNIT!" she yelled, sick and tired of the ups and downs that she and the pyro had been through.

"What's the matter, sweetheart? Mad?"

Katrina cursed and turned to the source of the voice, only to find the man Francis had protected her from months ago, again carrying a knife.

"The hell do you want?" Katrina was in no mood for petty matters. Her fury was beginning to consume her and was causing her to revert to her old gang mannerisms.

"Don't act so tough, little girl." he said with a nauseating smirk, "We have unfinished business and your little boyfriend isn't here to save you this time."

That was it. At the word _"boyfriend"_ her burning rage swallowed her whole and all she saw was red. Fire blazed uncontrollably in her blue irises and a smug smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"If you think you can get away with it, then by all means, try. If you succeed , I'll even reach into your throat and rip your vocal cords out as a reward." The ex-gang banger Katrina made herself known with the venomous words, malicious intent dripping from every syllable.

The stupid man laughed, oblivious to the way her eyes narrowed, the way her lips scowled. "Cut the act. We both know how this will end."

He lunged at her, intending to stun her so he could have his way with her. With a single, simple stroke of his blade, he cut her face. Katrina, however, merely stood there appearing surprisingly calm, fire dancing in her eyes.

The cut stretched from the left side of her forehead to the right side of her chin. Blood dripped down her face, but Katrina didn't even flinch. The gash was quite deep and had she been anyone else, it would have left a scar. But Katrina wasn't just anyone, she was a bang baby with healing powers. More importantly, she was a very pissed off ex-gang banger bang baby with healing powers and a monstrous temper.

The attack only served to dump oil on the raging fire, causing it to burn out of control. Katrina smirked as the cut healed itself, causing the man to tremble in fear.

"What?" she asked mockingly, "Is that all you've got?"

Scared, the man began slashing wildly at Katrina, who did nothing to dodge his attacks. After the assault he panted, watching with horror as the healer, who was now almost covered in blood, healed herself without even trying, grinning all the while.

"Are you done now?"

He took a frightened step back, dropping his knife with a yelp.

"Good, because I'm done too!"

And then she had him by the front of his shirt, grinning like a maniac. Katrina pulled her fist back and the onslaught of punches began. She beat him until blood came out of his nose and mouth, until he passed out. But she didn't stop. His blood spattered her hands and his clothes but still she didn't stop. She was too far gone…

Suddenly, she was hit with what felt like a strong electric shock, throwing her into a pile of trash. Sneering, she saw Static descend from the sky, his expression one of concern.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled as he reached the ground, disturbed by the scene he had just witnessed. It unnerved Virgil to see the normally sweet girl beating someone to death while covered in blood. It was honestly the kind of behavior he expected from Francis. Or even Kathrine for that matter.

"He's a rapist." Katrina spat, getting to her feet.

"Then let the police deal with him." Virgil reasoned, "Don't do this."

She looked off to the side, saying nothing.

"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?" he asked, eyeing the blood.

"No… Most of it is mine, but everything has healed already." she spoke quietly. It felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped on her and now with the hot flames of anger gone, she only felt empty.

Static didn't know whether he should be relieved or concerned by her response.

He then sighed, running a gloved hand through his dreads as he tried to understand why his friend was acting the way she was. "Look," he started, sounding unsure of himself, "I get that you were in a gang and made a change, but that won't mean anything if you go back to the way you used to be."

Katrina knew that. Even when she had been beating the man senseless she had known that. Gazing at her handy work filled her with guilt and regret. She hadn't meant to lose control, she had just felt so useless and that upset her more than anything else. Tears of anguish filled her eyes, one or two cascading down her face.

"This isn't about the gang thing, is it?"

She shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze. Virgil rested his hand on her shoulder, making her acknowledge him.

"This is about Hotstreak leaving during class, isn't it?"

Those words made the dam burst. Tears fell down her cheeks like miniature rivers, turning pink as they mixed with the blood. Sobs wracked her body and she somehow managed to nod her head.

Virgil sighed once more, taking a handkerchief from his pocket. He had had a feeling with the way she had rushed out of the classroom. Using the cloth, he carefully cleaned the blood from her face and fists. He pocketed the handkerchief when he was done and pulled his friend into a hug. Katrina and Kathrine had become like sisters to him.

He didn't particularly care for Francis, but when he had started hanging around Katrina, he had stopped beating people up. Virgil also saw that he wasn't all that bad of a guy. Of course, due to past experiences he and Richie were still wary.

But Virgil understood why Katrina wanted to help Francis. When he and the pyro had been trapped on Alva's island, he too had seen the potential in him to be good. However, he suspected that Katrina's feelings went beyond friendship.

Breaking the embrace, the male teen stared into his friend's still watery blue eyes. Her sobs had ceased and now she was only hiccupping and sniffling.

"Let's drop him off at the police station and then you and I will talk." he said, "I won't tell Kathrine about this if you don't want me to."

Katrina nodded, somehow managing a small smile, "I'd appreciate that."

**.:Line Break:.**

Once the man had been dropped off, the two went to the park to talk. Katrina sat on a wooden bench, shivering and hugging herself. The night was chilly and her shirt was torn in several places thanks to the man with the knife.

Virgil strode over to her, two canned drinks in hand. He took a seat next to her, draping his jacket over her shoulders before handing her a can of green tea. She looked at him questioningly when she accepted the beverage.

"You look a little cold." He offered with a smile, glad that she had completely calmed down.

She returned the smile and slipped her arms into the sleeves of the coat, pleased with how warm it was. Using his powers, Virgil opened their cans, earning another smile from the blue eyed girl. For awhile they just sat in silence, sipping their drinks and admiring the night time scenery.

"I'm sorry." she finally said, voice barely above a whisper.

"I wasn't mad or anything. Just… concerned." he clarified, "It's just… well… it's not like you to act out like that. We all noticed how strange you were acting and we're worried about you. What happened today?"

She sighed, a death grip on her can. She told him what she had seen, what she had heard, how she had felt. She told him how scared Francis had looked, she told him about the evil she had seen in Mr. Stone's eyes. She told him how angry and helpless she felt about the whole thing.

When she was done, Static leaned back against the bench. "I never thought that Hotstreak would be afraid of anyone, but if what you think about his dad is true, it explains a lot. Like how twisted Francis was." he spared her a glance, "You must be pretty worried about him."

"Of course I'm worried about him!" she all but yelled, "That man had the eyes of a cold blooded killer and Francis was so frightened by him. He's made so much progress over the months. I know that he seems scary, but he's really a great guy. He's funny, thoughtful, kind… and it's just not fair that just when he's doing well that… that… _bastard_ shows up and I just know that he's going to try to ruin all of Francis' hard work! And I can't do a damn thing about it!"

Virgil stared at her for a few seconds, the puzzle pieces slowly falling into place in his mind. "You know, Trina," he said from the rim of his soda can, trying to sound casual, "It sounds like you care for him as more than just a friend."

Static's words struck her like lightening. All of a sudden everything made sense. Why she felt so happy whenever he was around, how she'd always feel giddy when he told her something about himself that no one else knew, why she trusted him so much, and why she always wanted so desperately to see him happy.

Without any warning, Katrina burst out laughing, scaring Virgil out of his wits. She laughed at the irony of it all, at how cliché it was, and at how she had never even seen it coming.

"Uh… Trina?"

"I am such an idiot." she said aloud, more to herself than to him, "And I'm in love with one, too."

**.:Line Break:.**

All right, that will do it for this chapter. Thank you everyone for your support. Please review.


	17. Unexpected developments

So, I have 57 reviews right now. That's a heck of a lot more than I ever thought I would get. I want to say thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed my story. It's very encouraging to see.

**Chavonnie26: **Thank you for your support! I'm happy making something others enjoy reading.

**AwesomeJellyBean: **I'm glad to hear you say that. And yes, Katrina's powers are quite awesome.

**SuiLon434: **Thank you, my friend is doing a lot better now. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

**Hiwatarisgurl38: **I'm glad thatyou're enjoying the story so far.

**The phantom's girl: **Yeah, he's not exactly the nicest character I've ever made.

**Warning:** Violence, language, etc.

**Disclaimer: **…Still don't own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

In another section of the city, Terra sat on the edge of the clock tower, trying one last time to call her sister on her cell phone. Once again, her call went right to voicemail. Growling, Kathrine was tempted to throw her phone off the building. Instead, she slipped her phone back into her pocket with a worried sigh.

She was worried sick. Her sister hadn't come home and she still wasn't answering her phone. Kathrine had a feeling that her strange behavior had something to do with Francis leaving during class.

"_Katrina, don't do anything reckless."_

"Hey, there!"

Terra looked up and couldn't help but smile when she saw the object of her affections flying towards her on his jet blades.

"Hey, yourself." She greeted softly.

Deactivating his skates, Gear took a seat next to her. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small metal box with an antenna. Terra eyed it quizzically.

"The hell is that thing?"

"It's called a Shockbox." he explained with a hint of pride, "Static and I have one and I just finished making yours today."

"This is for me?" She asked, accepting the device.

"Yup. With this we can communicate when we're on the job. Congratulations, you're officially part of the team."

She gave him a warm smile, a gesture that unexpectedly made him blush.

"Thanks, Gear. I really needed something to make me smile."

"Uh, yeah." He barely managed to hide his voice cracking. Swallowing thickly, he hoped she hadn't noticed it.

Kathrine carefully placed the Shockbox in her pocket, her smile falling.

"What's wrong?" Richie asked, instantly noticing that she was distracted by something.

"Katrina isn't picking up her cell phone and she didn't come home after school today." she told him, taking out her phone again, "I'm worried. This… this isn't like her."

"Well… how many times did you try to contact her? Maybe she just missed it." he reasoned.

Kathrine shot him a withering look, "Twenty-five phone calls and thirty text messages. I think it's safe to say that she's ignoring me." She slumped back against the clock tower, recent events taking their toll on her. "I have a feeling that this has something to do with Hotstreak."

"She did seem like she was in a hurry after the bell rang." he thought aloud.

The two heroes fell silent, lost in their thoughts. Richie gazed at Kathrine, noting how the moonlight seemed to make her pale skin glow softly. Her chocolate brown hair flowed in the light breeze, questioning green eyes staring down at the city like it held the answers she was searching for. When Richie really thought about it, he realized that Kathrine was actually quite pretty.

"…likes him. What do you think?"

Richie, confused by the path his thoughts had taken, shook his head and asked, "Huh?"

Kathrine heaved an exasperated sigh. Rolling her eyes at the blond, she muttered something about cute geniuses being airheads under her breath. "I said, I think she likes him. You know, Katrina and Francis? What do you think?"

Richie thought for a moment. Katrina and Francis, for the most part, got along well. Occasionally, he would snap at her when they touched on a sensitive topic, but it never seemed to bother the blue eyed girl. The two always appeared to be content in the other's presence.

"I think you're right." he finally said, "I think that Hotstreak likes her, too. Think either of them realizes it?"

"Well, in Hotstreak's case, I'd have to say no. He's such an idiot that it would have to hit him in the face before he'd realize it, stubborn ass that he is. Katrina, on the other hand…" Terra bit her lip, clutching her phone to her chest, "I really don't know. I mean, she's smart and it kinda hurts to think that she wouldn't talk to me if she had figured out something like that. But she's also never been in love, or had a crush, or been in any kind of romantic relationship before, so I don't know if she'd even recognize the feeling if she felt it. It's kind of a toss up."

Richie watched with a frown as she ran her fingers through her hair, a gesture that she did when she was nervous or unsure. She was so distraught, he wished he knew what to do. He was an only child and despite Virgil being like a brother to him, he was at a loss. His brain simply could not give him an answer for what to do. Richie decided to go with his gut, since his mind wasn't offering any solutions.

Gear patted her back comfortingly, sending a warm, tingling sensation up her spine. "Listen," he said softly, "from what I've seen, you two are very close, closer than most siblings usually are. You share everything with each other. It could be like you said, she hasn't figured it out yet. But if she has and hasn't told you yet, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Just… give her time. She'll come to you when she's ready. You just have to trust her."

Kathrine blushed when she noticed how close the two of them were, but quickly pushed the thought out of her head. Richie had already rejected her, after all. Still, his hand was resting on her back and his words had caused a pleasant warmth to bloom in her chest. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies and she couldn't help but smile at his advice.

Placing her cell phone back in her pocket, she turned to the blond with a dazzling grin that made his breath catch in his throat. "You always seem to say what I need to hear. Why is that, I wonder?" Without waiting for an answer, she boldly placed a kiss on his cheek, "Thanks, Rich."

His cheek burned where her lips had touched, a feeling he decided he rather liked. His hand moved of its own volition to the area, a faint blush spreading across his face. His mind had gone completely blank.

He watched as Terra got to her feet and stood on the clock tower's edge, facing him. "I have to get back on patrol. I'll catch you later, Gear." With a wink and a two finger salute, Terra allowed herself to fall backwards off the building.

Panic swept through Gear as the image of Kathrine hitting the pavement ran through his mind. Scrambling to the edge, he caught sight Terra rising into the sky on a chunk of rock, waving at him as she disappeared into the night.

Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, Gear leaned back against the clock tower, replaying the night's events in his head. He wasn't stupid, not at all. After all, it wasn't the first time he had reacted like that around Kathrine. The blond groaned at the sudden and complicated development, throwing an arm over his eyes.

"Why can't anything in my life ever be simple?"

**.:Line Break:.**

When Katrina arrived home, Kathrine did not question her strange behavior, keeping Richie's advice in mind. Instead, she reminded her little sister that she could always talk to her and wished her goodnight.

Sleep, however, did not come easily to Katrina that night. Her new found feelings added to the worry for her friend made her restless.

The next morning, the four bang babies were surprised to find that Francis was not waiting in front of the school for Katrina like he usually did. Naturally, this didn't help the healer's worry.

It was only in the beginning of science class when Mr. Slaughter was checking homework when Francis actually appeared. He walked through the classroom door, expression stormy, with an agitated and concerned Officer Gore trailing behind him.

Francis didn't have his books with him, which was unusual because for the past few months he had been participating and learning in class, with Katrina's encouragement of course. This was upsetting, but there was something else about him that was bothering her.

He was wearing a long sleeved shirt. Had he been anybody else, the detail would have been written off as unimportant. But this was Francis, Hotstreak, a bang baby with fire powers. Not only was his average body temperature higher than a normal person's, he could also adjust it to keep himself from getting cold.

Katrina could only think of one reason why he would be wearing it. The only plausible reason was that he was hiding something, like cuts or bruises or both. Francis hadn't been in a fight in a while and even when he had been hurt, he never hid the evidence. Which left just one answer, the only answer that made sense in her mind.

"_He was abused."_

There was no doubt in Katrina's mind. It was the only explanation. What baffled her though, was why he didn't defend himself. Francis was a bang baby and a powerful one at that. Why would he take that lying down?

"Sorry." Officer Gore apologized, "He was late getting to school this morning."

Mr. Slaughter hummed in acknowledgement and went to his grade book to mark him late. "Please take a seat and take out your homework, Mr. Stone."

Francis went to his seat, flopping down unceremoniously. He wouldn't look at Katrina at all, his eyes fixed ahead of him in a nasty glare.

Katrina and Angela shared concerned looks. Both knew that _something_ was wrong, but neither knew what it was.

The healer chanced a glance at her friend. "Um… Francis… wh—"

"_Don't _talk to me." he spat in a low voice, causing the girl to flinch, "I thought I told you that already. Do you have a hearing problem, you stupid bitch?"

The realization of her feelings toward Francis made his acidic words hurt worse. She felt like she had been stabbed and it was a wound that her healing abilities would have no effect on. What had she done to deserve such animosity?

Mr. Slaughter soon arrived at their desk, taking note of their expressions. "Where is your homework, Mr. Stone?"

"…Didn't do it."

"Why not?" the teacher asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

Francis was silent, not even bothering to look at the man.

"Mr. Stone, I asked you a question."

Still, he received no response.

Fed up with his attitude, Dominic grabbed his chin and forcefully made him look at him. "I said, why didn't you do your homework, Francis?"

"Because it was stupid and pointless." he growled.

Dominic glared and released his chin, writing the teen down as unprepared. "Don't confuse my homework with your existence, Mr. Stone. However, what _is_ stupid and pointless is you coming to my class without even a pen to write with. It's fine with me if you want to spend the rest of your life in prison, but don't come here and be a distraction to those who actually have a future."

His words about Francis angered Katrina. The blue eyed girl shot to her feet, knocking over her chair in the process. Slamming her hands on the desk, she narrowed her eyes at the teacher. "Mr. Slaughter, _that_ was completely out of line!" she yelled, inwardly seething.

The entire class, including Francis and Officer Gore, stared owlishly at her. Katrina _never_ talked back to teachers. It simply wasn't in her nature. Yet here she was, glaring at Mr. Slaughter defiantly.

Dominic was unimpressed. "Was it really, Miss Blake?" he asked, writing in his book with a bored expression.

"It was! During the past few months, Francis has been improving in his studies, always brought what he needed, and arrived to class on time. So what if he's late one day? So what if he's unprepared just this once? You have no right to take a shot at his record because of just one day! You're being totally unfair!"

Katrina was livid. She had been through situations like this before. A troublesome student slips up one time and is given hell for it, but if it was anyone else, it wouldn't be an issue. She wouldn't let him pick on Francis, even if the pyro was acting like an ass.

Francis was honestly touched by the display. Not five minutes ago he had called her a bitch and now she was defending him? It didn't make sense. She should have been angry at him and instead she was defending his honor? Why? Why did she care so much? Why _should _she care? He treated her like trash and she was still helping him, she still wasn't giving up on him.

A funny thought crossed his mind and, had the situation not been so serious, he might have laughed. Katrina was a lot like a dog. Kind and loyal to a fault, trusting, caring. She'd defended him from people who meant him harm in any way. Whenever he yelled at her or insulted her, she'd keep coming back because she still believed that he was good.

It hurt. Knowing that pained him. Katrina was putting all of her trust in him and he was letting her down. His insults, his venomous words had to have been eating away at her, but she still believed in him, trusted him, cared for him. It made Francis sick to his stomach that he was putting her through so much pain.

"_I'm a monster…"_

It was a thought that constantly plagued his mind. And now, seeing her the way she was, there was no doubt in his mind that the words weren't true.

"It's not fair, Miss Blake?" Dominic asked, condescendingly, "I hate to tell you this, but people like him don't change."

Katrina opened her mouth to retort, but Francis beat her to it. He got to his feet as well, leaning towards the teacher.

"And what exactly are people like me?"

"Menaces to society." he said, voice low, "Or in other words, a monster."

It happened so quickly that no one had time to react. Francis punched Mr. Slaughter in the face. Dominic stumbled back from the force, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand and stared at the crimson liquid, clenching his fists. Then, without any warning, he returned the punch with equal force to the same area on Francis' face.

The redhead stumbled back, shock coloring his features. Mr. Slaughter smirked.

"What? Not used to anyone hitting you back?" he asked mockingly, "Not everyone is afraid of you, Mr. Stone. It would be wise if you kept that in mind."

Officer Gore was the first to come to her senses. Storming over to the two males, she seized them by their arms.

"Both of you are coming with me to the principal's office. Now!"

She dragged them to the door, but before they left, Mr. Slaughter stopped to look at Katrina.

"Assuming I still have a job when this is over, you and I will be discussing how _"unfair" _I am in detention this afternoon, Miss Blake."

Katrina stared blankly at the door even when they were long gone. Finally, she sighed and picked up her chair. Throwing herself down in it, she noticed that everyone's eyes were on her. Frustrated and angry, she shot them a deadly glare.

"It's rude to stare."

They all quickly took an interest in their desks. No one had ever really seen the youngest of the Blake sisters angry, but none were eager to see if her temper was as bad as her sister's.

"_Damn it, Francis."_ she thought, resisting the urge to bang her head against the desk, _"What is going on with you?"_

**.:Line Break:.**

Francis, Mr. Slaughter, Officer Gore, and Mr. Stone all sat in the principal's office. Angela had told the story to the principal who then called Mr. Stone, telling him the story as soon as he arrived.

"Mr. Stone," the principal began, "I can understand if you want to press charges. Naturally, Mr. Slaughter will be punished accordingly for his actions." He glared at Dominic, who now had an ugly purple and black bruise forming on his face.

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary." Mr. Stone insisted, his tone pleasant, "No charges, no punishment. It's fine."

Both Angela and the principal stared at the man in disbelief.

"Mr. Stone?"

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how my boy is, and he did throw the first punch. Mr. Slaughter was simply defending himself. I'll be grateful if he doesn't press charges against Francis." He turned to Dominic, "I'm terribly sorry for my son's actions. I do hope that you'll consider not pressing any charges."

Mr. Slaughter regarded the man with cold eyes for a moment before he smiled. "No. No charges. After all, he can't help being a problem student and it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I'm glad. I'll give him a proper punishment when he gets home later."

Officer Gore was sickened by the scene. When Dominic had told her why he put Katrina next to Francis, she had thought that he was on his side. Now here he was, bad mouthing the kid in front of his face and getting chummy with his slime ball of a father. She trusted him and he lied to her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wished that she had been the one to deck him.

**.:Line Break:.**

The rest of the day was uneventful. Francis avoided Katrina at every turn and at the end of the day, Angela was forced to watch Mr. Stone drive away with Francis. It worried her to think that Mr. Stone was going to _"punish"_ him. When she had grabbed the redhead's arm earlier that day, she noticed him flinch. The movement had been so slight that she almost didn't catch it. He was injured under his long sleeved shirt and she knew that Mr. Stone had to be the cause. Thinking back to the incident in the principal's office, Officer Gore turned on her heel and marched into the school, fully intent on giving Dominic Slaughter a piece of her mind.

**.:Line Break:.**

And that will do it for this chapter. Sorry if it's short. I've been sick as a dog for the past few weeks, so to say sorry I quickly typed this up and a new FrancisxKatrina chapter for my series of one-shots, _A Strange Relationship_. I hope that you like them both and will tell me what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

I know that I've been gone for a very long time and all I can say is I'm sorry. I don't recall if I mentioned this before, but I had a friend who was going through cancer. He was very important to me and I saw him as the older brother I never had. He passed away and his death was a big shock to me. Not only had I not expected it, but it was my first time experiencing someone close to me dying. For a long time, I haven't had the will to do much of anything. I'm trying to pick myself up now. I know that doesn't excuse how long I've left you hanging, but please bear with me. I'm still trying to sort everything out.

**Warning: **Violence, foul language, etc…

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own _Static Shock_.

**.:Line Break:.**

Officer gore burst into Mr. Slaughter's room, throwing the door open with a bang. Dominic was behind his desk, reading a newspaper while Katrina, who was the only other person in the room, sat in her usual seat. Both looked up at Angela as she stalked over to Mr. Slaughter.

"Here to accept my dinner proposal?" he asked, his voice colored with amusement.

A resounding slap echoed through the room. Katrina flinched at the sound, shocked. Dominic, not even fazed by the action, rubbed his cheek. It was the same one Francis had hit earlier.

"You sick bastard!" she hissed through clenched teeth, "I thought you cared! Why? Why did you do that?!"

"Ah, I thought you might be upset about that. I assume you want to talk about it."

Angela glared daggers at the man, furious. "Katrina, could you step outside for a moment so Mr. Slaughter and I can talk?"

She began to gather her things when Dominic stopped her.

"Stay, Miss Blake. I'm sure that you have the same questions Officer Gore has. This has as much to do with the two of you as it does Francis himself."

Katrina raised a brow and set her things down, walking up to the desk.

"Why did you provoke him in class like that?" Angela demanded, folding her arms over her chest, "You _knew_ that saying those things would set him off! So, why?"

Dominic folded up his newspaper and placed it on his desk. "Have either of you seen the front page of today's paper. I was reading it this morning when I caught something rather interesting."

The front page talked about a series of break-ins that had occurred the night before. The police couldn't find any evidence at the crime scenes at all. The only thing that tied them all together was the fact that the criminal responsible had taken only cash and the method they used to break into the stores. At each crime scene, they discovered that a hole had been burned through the walls.

Katrina's eyes went wide. _"Burned through the walls… It couldn't…"_

A quick glance at Officer Gore told Katrina that she was thinking the same thing.

"I don't think I have to tell you ladies that a considerable amount of heat is required to actually _melt _a wall." Dominic pointed out.

"But it's not his fault!" Katrina was the first to jump to Francis' defense, "Francis is good, I know he is! The way he's acting, the crimes, I'd bet anything that it's Mr. Stone's fault! He's making Francis act like this!"

"Duh."

Katrina and Angela stared at Mr. Slaughter, surprise on their faces.

"You… you knew?" Officer Gore managed to ask.

Dominic laced his fingers together, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "I'm no idiot and I know that you two aren't either. Something was wrong with Francis. This morning's paper, him coming in late, not bringing any of his things, wearing a long sleeve shirt when his powers are fire based, it's all suspicious. Not to mention that in all his time at school, he has _never_ attacked a teacher before today." he glanced at Katrina, "I also overheard your little exchange and I saw him flinch when Officer Gore grabbed him. I had a hunch that something was off."

"You risked losing your job because of a _hunch_?"Angela asked incredulously.

"My mother was… a manipulative bitch, not unlike Francis' father." He continued, ignoring Angela for a moment.

"You came from an abusive family? You saw through his act?" Katrina knew there were abusive families in the world, but she had a hard time believing that there were so many.

"Miss Blake, there is no such thing as a perfect family. Everyone has their problems, although some are more severe than others. But I'm sure I don't have to tell _you_ that."

Katrina averted her eyes to the floor.

"As for seeing through his act, the last time I'd seen a smile that plastic was in the Barbie aisle of a toy store." he continued, "Now, as much as I hated my mother, I learned many useful things from her. I learned how to see through people, I learned how to act to fool others, but most importantly, I learned how twisted people like Mr. Stone think."

"How they… think?" the healer parroted.

Dominic nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I'm sure you've noticed," he began, staring up at the ceiling, looking bored, "But for whatever reason, Francis is afraid of his father, enough that he won't use his powers to defend himself. He's pushing away what few people he has to support him, which is probably his way of protecting them. I can only imagine that this is the reason he cursed at Katrina and gave her the silent treatment when he usually does not shut his damn mouth when you're sitting together." He ground out the ending of his last sentence, shooting Katrina a mildly annoyed look.

Angela listened to the teacher speak with sympathy. From how easily he recognized the signs, it was obvious that he had been through a lot, too. "Dominic… what did your mother do to you exactly?"

Dark eyes narrowed at the white ceiling, irritation and pain flitting through his brown orbs. Abruptly, the teacher got to his feet, startling both student and cop. He turned to the whiteboard, hands held behind his back.

He wasn't going to talk about his past. Not only because he didn't want to relive it, but also because this situation was not about him and his demons. It was about Francis and helping him. The truth was that the pyro reminded him of himself in his teenage years. He believed that no one, regardless of what they had done, should have to go through the abuse he endured. Although in Francis' case, he suspected that things were much worse.

"This isn't about me." he stated firmly, "This is about Francis. Only he matters right now and I think that's something we can all agree on." Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled when he saw both Angela and Katrina nod, their expressions determined.

"So, you said that you can tell what people like Mr. Stone are thinking, right?" Officer Gore asked, "Do you know what he's trying to do?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say that he's trying to isolate Francis and make him miserable. After all, it's easier to torture someone when they're all alone. That being said, you two should be careful."

"Why?" Angela asked, now much calmer and more level headed than she was when she had first entered the classroom.

"Because that man is going to do everything in his power to keep Francis away from everyone who cares about him and hasn't been driven away by his recent behavior. And I'm sure you two have already expressed how much you care." he paused, shooting them a pointed look, "That man will look for any excuse to keep you away and believe me when I say he will not rest until he does."

Realization dawned on Angela's face, "That's why you were being so buddy-buddy with Mr. Stone! He wasn't going to press charges against someone he thinks hates his son!"

He turned to face the girls again, looking very much like the cat who ate the canary. "Now you're catching on. If he thinks that I'll make his son's life difficult, he won't switch him out of my class, and if he stays then Miss Blake can continue her efforts to break through to him."

Katrina grinned, finding hope despite the grim situation. "Is that why you hit Francis back? To make it look more convincing?"

"No. That was because the little punk deserved it, but that's neither here nor there at the moment."

"So you got yourself punched to get dragged to the principal's office because you knew that Mr. Stone would be called in?"

"That's right." He told the officer, "I had heard yesterday from some gossiping teachers that Francis' father came to collect him. No one changes like Francis did over night, not without a damned good reason. To be honest, I suspected that the kid had had trouble at home before his father showed up. No one is born a criminal, something had to have happened to make him the way he is and the best place to start looking is always at home. Now that I've met Mr. Stone, I'm sure that Francis is being abused."

"I don't understand, why not report it then? Why doesn't _he _report it?" Angela asked, voice laced with distress.

"Look," he started, massaging the bridge of his nose, "it's not that simple. First of all, due to our government's screwed up way of thinking, they'll want to try to keep kids like Francis with his real family, regardless of how much they're suffering. Second, with Francis' track record, the police will want irrefutable proof that he's being abused and we just don't have that right now. And third, even if I did report the abuse, not only will the slimy bastard find a way out of it, he'd also find out who filed the report, and then my charade would have been all for nothing. We need to carefully think this through."

Disheartened, the two females dropped their gazes. Feeling frustrated and useless, Angela slammed her fists on Dominic's desk.

"Damnit!" she growled, teeth clenched, "What the hell are we supposed to do, then? Just sit around and wait?"

"Of course not." Mr. Slaughter told her, causing her to look up and see the scheming expression on his face, "If Mr. Stone is going to be a sneaky bastard, we're going to be sneaky too."

"Mr. Slaughter, I'm afraid I don't follow."

He shook his head at Katrina, as though amused, and said, "Officer Gore, I suggest that you start going through the Stone family history. Medical records, criminal records, etc. Make note of anything strange and bring it to me. Let's see if we can't make this bastard squirm."

The officer grinned, pleased by the idea. "Will do."

"Miss Blake, tell only your closest friends what's going on and see if you can think of any way to get evidence of what Mr. Stone is doing to his son. In the mean time, be there for him as much as you can. Hopefully, he'll open up to you."

Katrina was surprise. His theory of Francis being abuse and his plan of attack were thought up in under a day, pointing to an intellect greater than that of an average high school science teacher.

"What will you be doing, Mr. Slaughter?" she asked.

"I'm glad you asked." he plopped down in his chair, "I will try to convince Mr. Stone to let me tutor Francis after school. The less time at home, the better. Now that that's out of the way, you are dismissed Miss Blake."

Confused, Katrina glanced at the clock. She still had another hour of detention, but she decided not to stay and question it. After all, she had to talk to Kathrine, Richie, and Virgil about Francis. Grabbing her belongings, she hurried out the door, leaving Dominic and Angela alone.

"You know," the blond began, eyebrow quirked, "This plan of yours is pretty elaborate and clever."

"What can I say? I'm a genius."

"I also did a little bit of research on the Blake girls." She continued, "I had to do a bit of digging, but I found a mug shot of the ex-leader of the Jade Dragons. It turns out that their gang symbol was the same as the image on the locket that Kathrine and Katrina wear and I'm betting that it's no coincidence, is it Mr. Slaughter?"

He shrugged, the same sly smile playing at his lips. "Perhaps."

"But you know what's strange? No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find anything on you." Placing her hands on the desk, she leaned towards him, "I appreciate your help, so I won't question it. However, I can't help but wonder if you really are _just_ a high school science teacher."

"My dinner proposal still stands, Officer."

Angela rolled her eyes, removing herself from the desk. A small smile tugged at her lips though, and Dominic caught it. "In all seriousness, though, thank you."

Then, without any warning, she gave him a peck on the lips. The shock of it was enough to crumble even his normally cool façade. Wide eyed, he watched a laughing Officer Gore leave his classroom. Slowly, a wide goofy grin spread across his face as he reclined in his chair, not caring if anyone saw him looking like an idiot.

**.:Line Break:.**

Katrina did as Mr. Slaughter asked and informed her friends of what was going on. Virgil suggested talking to his father about how to help Francis, but unfortunately Mr. Hawkins said that there wasn't much they could do other than keep an eye on him. Without Francis stepping up and admitting that his father was abusing him and with no evidence , it was a case of their word against .

Wednesday was not proving to be any better than Tuesday regarding the Francis situation. He still wore a long sleeve shirt, still came to class unprepared and without his homework, and he was still giving everyone, including Officer Gore, the cold shoulder.

When lunch rolled around Katrina used the time to track Francis down. She ended up finding him in the library, Officer Gore standing by the door. Katrina glanced at the blond officer, who shrugged at her.

"I don't know what his problem is today." She whispered, watching Francis to make sure he didn't spot them talking. "I did find something interesting last night, though. Apparently when Francis was younger, he spent two years in a hospital."

"Two years?" Katrina gasped, "How is that possible?"

"Records show that he was originally taken in for some broken bones. Then the kid seemed to get infected with every disease known to man, one right after the other." She glanced at Francis before turning back to Katrina, "I don't know about you, but that seems awfully strange to me."

The healer nodded, remembering his protests about going to the hospital when he had been injured. "Anything else?"

Angela regretfully shook her head. "That's all I found last night, besides the fact that there was another break in. I'll keep digging tonight. Be careful when you talk to him, he's a little more… on edge today. There's no telling what will set him off."

Katrina managed to give her a meek smile. Even she didn't know what she hoped to accomplish by bugging him everyday. It wasn't like everything would suddenly change with a few words and he'd tell her his whole life story. Still, she had to try. For all Francis had done for her and because she loved him, she had to try.

"Francis."

He sneered at her as she approached, wishing that she'd just give up and leave him alone. But he knew that she wouldn't because she was Katrina and she cared. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"No, I don't." she said, folding her arms defensively, "I don't get it. So why don't you explain it to me? Explain to me why you're going down hill again after fighting so hard to get back up. Explain why you're falling into back into bad habits after working so hard to break them. Explain why you're pushing me away after all we've been through! Explain it to me, Francis, because I honestly don't get it!"

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he looked down on her, "I guess that I'm just what everyone always said I was, a monster."

"You are not a monster, Francis!" Katrina hissed, "You are not and will never be a monster. But I know someone who is."

Hotstreak glared, baring his teeth, "Don't you dare say it!"

"Your father."

"I told you not to say it!" he spat.

Katrina narrowed her eyes at him, through with being nice and tip-toeing around the issue. "You're hurt, Francis, and you feel alone and scared—"

"I am not scared!"

"—and it's all that mans fault!" she continued, despite the interruption, "I don't know why you're shutting us out, but we, Officer Gore and I, care about you! We want to help you, but you have to let us!"

"Mind your own damn business, Blake!"

"You are my business!" she almost screamed, body trembling from the heated argument, "The moment you became my friend, you became my business. The moment I started caring about you, you became my business. The day we met in the hall, you became my business. Whether you like it or not, Stone, I'm involved with your life and you can't just-just push me away like I'm-I'm nothing!"

"You stupid bitch, back off! Or else." He had to keep her away, no matter what the cost. He had to protect her, even if it meant hurting her.

Katrina strode up to him until they were chest to chest, face to face. "Or else what?"

"I'll make sure that the whole city knows about your past and that you're a bang baby." Francis himself wasn't sure if he'd actually do it if it came down to it, but he had to make sure that she believed that he would.

The hurt that flashed in her eyes was almost unbearable, but he had to do it. He wouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of him.

As the light faded from Katrina's eyes, he thought the whole thing was over. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Her blue irises steeled, burning with a resolve so bright that Francis was forced to take a step back. "Go ahead." She told him firmly, "Tell the city, tell the world if you want. Then we'll be treated the same and I'll know how you feel everyday."

"I'm serious! I'll do it!" he warned her, his voice sounding weak even in his own ears.

"Oh, I'm sure," she responded in a tone very unlike herself, "Go ahead. I don't care. It won't change anything. It won't change the fact that I want to help you, it won't change the fact that I care about you, and it won't change the fact that _I_ _will not _give up on you!"

Francis was stunned. If word about Katrina got out, she'd be ruined. She was risking everything and for what? For him? What did he ever do to merit that kind of devotion? He honestly couldn't think of a single thing. Her loyalty combined with her unwavering faith in him only made his next move hurt so much more.

"I'll tell the city about your sister and the others."

Due to that one, simple sentence, Francis could see Katrina's heart breaking in her eyes. He knew that for her to risk her own secrets was one thing, but the secrets of her sister and her friends were not hers to risk. She had no choice but to back down and do as Francis said. She couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, but she couldn't take that chance. It was a low blow and they both knew it, but he was desperate and there was no other way.

Slowly, reluctantly, Katrina turned her back to him, much to his relief. "This isn't over, Francis." she said, voice barely above a whisper, "Not yet. Just remember, you have my number. Call me whenever you want to talk because I'll always listen." And with that she walked away.

Somehow, her parting words hurt him more than any insult could.


	19. Chapter 19

Hello. I wanted to thank everyone for their support. It really means a lot to me. Now, as for this chapter, let me say sorry in advance if it seems short, but the next chapter will be the end of the "Mr. Stone" situation and I wanted to keep that all together. It was poor planning on my part, so I'm sorry about that.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Static Shock_.

**Warning: **Violence and language.

** .:Line Break:.**

That night, Virgil thought about what Katrina had told him about Francis. For as long as he could remember, he and the pyro had been enemies. Francis had always been violent, fearless, and hotheaded. He had been a bully and that was all Virgil had seen him as.

When they were trapped on Alva's Island though, his view had began changing. Virgil learned that Francis was afraid of hospitals and, somehow, that made the bang baby seem more... human. And when Francis volunteered to give up some of his energy to save Alva's son, Virgil had seen in him the potential to be a good guy.

In the short time that they knew each other, Katrina had seen that potential much faster than he had and was even able to draw some of it out. When Virgil saw the two together, Francis just seemed... normal.

Virgil flew around the city as Static, keeping an eye out for trouble as he went over his thoughts.

He wondered how terrible Francis' father had to be to make the pyro upset Katrina like he had at lunch. He was fairly certain that Francis liked Katrina the same way she liked him. Although, knowing the hothead, Virgil was sure that not even he knew it yet.

Virgil wasn't entirely sure what he could do to help Francis, as the pyro trusted Katrina more than him. But he had promised to help Katrina with the situation and he would do whatever he could to keep that promise.

"Please, stop!"

Virgil jumped upon hearing the male voice, having been so immersed in his thoughts. He swiftly changed course and headed to the source of the yell.

_"That sounded like Ferret."_

As he landed in the alley way where the voice had come from, he learned that he was right.

Ferret was lying on the ground, bruised and sporting a bloody nose, unconscious. Standing over him was none other then Hotstreak. The pyro's face was angry and his eyes showed inner turmoil.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Static demanded, lowering himself to the ground. He felt a strong wave of deja vu as he looked at the scene, suddenly remembering Katrina's episode a few days prior.

_"Maybe they're more alike than I first thought."_

Francis growled at him, something Virgil had expected. "Why the hell do you care?"

"Why? I care because you've been trying to turn yourself around and here you are going back to how you used to be!"

Hotstreak stuffed his hands in his pockets. He really didn't want to see Static or any of the other heroes right now. They were all friends with Katrina and he had no doubt that she had told them what had been going on lately. And of course with her friends being the goody-goodies that they were, they were going to go out of their way to help her. And that meant bothering him.

"He escaped from jail." Hotstreak said with a shrug, as if it excused his actions.

"That doesn't mean that you have the right to almost beat them to death!"

He scoffed, turning his back on Static, "Whatever."

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Static demanded as the pyro attempted to leave.

"Anywhere but here."

"We need to talk, Francis."

Hotstreak whirled around, teeth bared. "The name is Hotstreak! You should know better then to call me that."

Virgil smirked, leaning against one of the alley walls. "You're right, I do know better. Katrina is the only one allowed to call you by name, right?"

Francis scoffed again, "Stupid bitch doesn't listen."

"I also know better than to think that you suddenly hate Katrina when you've practically been attached at the hip for months. I mean, threatening her like that today? That's not like you. So, you wanna tell me what's going on with you and your father that has you acting like this?"

Francis avoided the hero's inquisitive gaze, choosing instead to stare at the ground. "I... I don't know what you're talking about. I've always been like this and I always will be."

Virgil raised a brow, "See, the fact that you're not looking at me right now means you're lying to me."

Hotstreak scowled, glaring at the other boy as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Now you're defensive."

He dropped his arms to his sides, fists clenched, "I am _not_ being defensive."

Virgil grinned, amused at how easy it had been to read the pyro, "Whatever helps you sleep at night. Terra's been teaching us how to read body language and it's really been paying off."

"Too bad she didn't teach you how to keep your nose out of other people's business."

"This _is_ my business," he stated, all traces of amusement gone, "I made a promise to Katrina and I'm a super hero. Helping people and keeping them safe is my business."

"What a joke!" Francis laughed, "I don't need help and I sure as hell don't need to be kept safe!"

"Really?" Virgil questioned, doubtful.

"Yeah, really."

In a flash, Virgil was directly in front of Francis, startling the pyro. Static gripped his wrist firmly so that the other couldn't pull away and shoved his long sleeve up a few inches passed his elbow.

Virgil's eyes widened as the flesh was revealed, stifling a gasp. The normally pale skin was covered in ugly bruises and cut marks. The blackish blue and green splotches varied in size and shape, and looked like they went even further up his body. Static grimly wondered if it was only Hotstreak's arms that were covered in these marks.

Suddenly, Francis realized what had happened and snatched his arm out of the smaller boys grasp. He pulled down his sleeve, angry and embarrassed that he had allowed him to see his shame.

"... Francis..." Virgil finally said.

The red head avoided his eyes again, trying to control his temper. "Shut up. Just... shut up."

"Francis, you need help. If your father is responsible for-"

"Shut up, Hawkins!" he spat, smoke rising, eyes turning a frightening shade of crimson, "Not another fucking word!"

"But..."

"Piss off. I meant what I told Katrina. I'll tell everyone who you really are."

Virgil sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to get any further with Hotstreak when he was so angry. Taking out his flying disk, he grabbed Ferret.

"Listen," he began, speaking softly, "I don't know what you're going through. I've been lucky enough to have a good family and good friends. But I know you're good, Francis. Do you remember when we were on Alva's island? You could have just left us there as soon as you got free, but you didn't. You came back for us and you helped us turn Alva's son back to normal. You have good in you, I know you do."

Francis scoffed, turning his back on him. The smoke was gone, but Static was still cautious. No one ever knew what would set Hotstreak off.

"And Katrina knows, too."

Francis tensed at the name, an action that did not go unnoticed by Static.

"Katrina still believes in you, even with everything you said to her today. And, to be honest, Richie, Kathrine, and I believe in you, too. We've seen how you acted with Katrina. We can help you if you'll just let us."

Hotstreak was silent for a few minutes, absorbing the information. People cared about him? Other then Katrina and Officer Gore, he didn't think anyone else would care. But why? Virgil, Richie, and Kathrine had the most reason to hate him, but they cared? About him? He just couldn't wrap his head around it.

"Just... just go." he finally said.

With a disappointed sigh, Static flew away. Although, he had noticed that he had gotten through to him a little. He was content, at least for now, knowing that he had planted the seed in Francis' head that there were people who care about him.

_"Sorry, Trina, but that's all I can do for now."_

Francis heard the hero go, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He could tell from Virgil's tone that he was being genuine, that he wasn't lying to him at all. Hotstreak had bullied Virgil for as long as he could remember, yet here he was risking his identity to try to help him. Francis was certain that he didn't do it just because Katrina had asked him to help her.

And then there was Katrina. No matter how hard he tried it seemed like he could never push away the healer. He had hurt her over and over and she still trusted him, believed in him, cared about him. She was far too kind for her own good and Francis feared that it would one day be the end of her.

His mind was spinning as he walked back to the hell he was forced to call home. So many people were helping him even though he hadn't really done anything to deserve it. It made him wonder if maybe, just maybe, he deserved to be happy after all.  
><strong>.:Line Break:.<strong>

Thursday Francis gave Katrina the cold shoulder all day, not even calling her terrible names anymore. Katrina tried to get his attention all day, but he pretended that she wasn't there. Virgil had been staring at him a lot as well, but he never said anything to the pyro and Francis didn't say anything to him either. The end of the day finally came and Francis became irritated when Officer Gore informed him that he'd have to stay after school for an hour so Mr. Slaughter could tutor him.

"What bullshit is this?" Francis snarled as he burst through the science teacher's door.

Mr. Slaughter looked up from his papers just in time to see Angela leave the room to stand outside the door.

"This isn't bullshit." Mr. Slaughter stated, rising from his chair, "your grades for my class, however, are. I don't know if your father told you, but I'll be tutoring you on Thursdays until your grades improve."

Something akin to fear flashed in the pyro's green eyes, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Dominic noticed, but said nothing.

"I thought you hated me, you two-faced bastard."

"Whether I hate you or not is irrelevant." he said, purposely avoiding confirming or denying his statement, "Your grade is pulling down the class average, though and that's relevant because you're pulling down my salary along with it. Take a seat, Mr. Stone."

Francis sneered, but did as he was told. "And another thing, stop calling me Mr. Stone."

Dominic took a seat on the desk in front of the bang baby, "Why? Do you not like it?"

"It's my... father's name." he answered through gritted teeth, "I'm nothing like my father."

"I'd say so." the teacher stated dully, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You don't have the look of a psychopathic murderer in your eyes."

Francis opened his mouth to retort when the words finally registered in his mind. Baffled, he gaped at him.

Dominic smirked, amused by the reaction. The teacher rolled up one of his sleeves, revealing several small, circular burn scars. "Do you know what these are?"

Francis glanced at the marks, "They look like cigarette burns."

"That's right." he confirmed, covering the scars again, "My mother was a single mother. She had me to try to get my father to marry her. He didn't and left as soon as she told him that she was pregnant."

Hotstreak stared at him with a raised brow, not entirely sure where this conversation was going.

"My mother," Mr. Slaughter continued, "had this amusing tendency to mistake me for an ash tray."

"...What is the point of this story?" Francis asked, refusing to actually compare his teacher to himself. He refused to acknowledge the idea that Dominic actually understood how he felt.

"Patience, Francis. My mother would attack me on a daily basis, both physically and verbally, and I always hated being called Mr. Slaughter by anyone because it always reminded me of her. I never wanted to be anything like her." he sighed, inwardly grateful that he had Francis' full attention, "I was a trouble maker in school. Never really had any friends and the teachers all hated me. Not that I was ever very popular to begin with."

"...What changed?"

"I made a friend." Dominic said with a fond smile, "He was stubborn and highly intelligent. It didn't take him long to figure out what my situation at home was like. At first, I just kept brushing him off, but he was determined. He eventually convinced me that I didn't deserve to be miserable. We installed cameras around my house and caught her being a bitch to me on tape. That combined with the years of injuries and the few scars I still have were enough to get her ass thrown in jail. I haven't seen her since."

Francis crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair as he regarded the teacher. "I don't see what this has to do with me."

Mr. Slaughter snorted and rolled his eyes, "The _hell_ you don't!"

"I-"

"Save it." Dominic said, cutting him off, "I saw the look in your father's eyes. It was the same look my mother used to have. I know all of the signs of abuse and you're showing them. You can try to hide it, but everyone who cares about you already knows. Katrina, Officer Gore, and even Kathrine, Hawkins, and Foley. By the way, those last three came to me before school today to ask about how you were."

Francis glared, trying to ignore how surprised he was by the information. He thought back to the previous night when he wondered if he could be happy, but quickly shook the thought away. He told himself that he couldn't afford to get close to anyone. He couldn't let anyone else get hurt.

"If you want things to change, Francis, then you need to put forth the effort to change them. Reach out to the people who care about you, let them help you get out of the hell you're in now. Regardless of anything you've done in your life, you don't deserve this treatment. No one does."

_"If only you knew." _Francis thought. He opened his mouth, ready to tell the teacher off when he suddenly spoke up.

"Time's up."

Francis, who had barely been able to get a word in edge wise during the whole session, felt like screaming in frustration. Dominic went back to his desk, returning to the task of grading papers.

"Well?" he asked the bang baby, "What are you waiting for? Get going."

Francis shot to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair. He stalked up to the desk and glared at the man. "You are the most annoying person I have ever met."

Dominic grinned, "I get that a lot, actually."

Francis stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Mr. Slaughter watched him leave, his grin dissolving into a frown. He was concerned for the boy and he had a bad feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worst.


End file.
